The Light

The Light is playing at the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space located at 511 West 52nd Street (10th/11th Ave). It runs one hour thirty minutes with no intermission. The play closes on March 17, 2019.

The place is a Hyde Park Condo, Chicago, Ill on October 5, 2018.

Rashad (McKinley Belcher lll) comes into the apartment and takes off his shirt. He put a new one on and sprays cologne on himself. Opening up a bottle of wine he makes sure the label is to the front. Glasses are arranged in the right position. The final thing he does is hide two envelopes in two different places.

Music is playing when Genesis (Mandi Masden) comes into her apartment. She is a principal of a school and tells Rashad of a problem she had with one of the teachers. He calms her down by telling her a story about his daughter. She is five and was after him for not wearing a bracelet she made for him. He gives in and wears the bracelet.

He’s there to celebrate their two year anniversary. Rashad says I know we said we would wait another year to get engaged but as he goes down on his knees he proposes. Genesis says yes.

He reads her the first letter. One of the things he tells her from the letter is that he knows she is the one for him. He mailed it to himself on the day they met.

A few minutes later he gets the other envelope. In it are tickets for a show. He is a firemen and pulled strings to get the tickets. There is a singer in the show she likes. When she finds out who one of the other singers that is performing she refuses to go.

Genesis tells him he raped a friend of hers. Rashad hints maybe he really didn’t do it. Her reply what if it was his daughter. He said I would kill him. After much debate she breaks down and tells him she was the one that was raped.

I’m not spoiling any more of the story. Mandi Masden does a brilliant performance. You feel her pain, she is so convincing. McKinley Belcher lll is outstanding. Logan Vaughn is the director. She brings out the best in them.

At the end the lights go out. When the lights come back on they are hugging each other.

The set done by Kimie Nishikawa is impressive.

Don’t miss seeing this play. Loy A. Webb is the playwright. This is a remarkable play that has something to say.

Review by Rozanna Radakovich.

Photos by Annazor.

To read a candid interview with the cast, scroll down to the left. Click on photos for this and other shows.