Review: THE MANY WONDROUS REALITIES OF JASMINE STARR-KIDD Breaks Reality at The Alliance Theatre

Riri Williams and Lunella Lafayette, please meet Jasmine Starr-Kidd - I think y'all'll get along. THE MANY WONDROUS REALITIES OF JASMINE STARR-KIDD opened on The Alliance's Hertz Stage on March 1st and will run until April 1st. With unbeatable tech, fun performances, and a frivolous story, WONDROUS REALITIES is a swift and lighthearted experience.

In action for nearly 20 years now, the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwrighting Competition has staged some truly incredible new theatre on the Alliance's Hertz Stage. WONDROUS REALITIES was written by 2022/23 Competition Winner, Stephen Brown. I love getting to see new plays, so it's always a win for me when a new show gets staged anywhere.

Starring teen genius Jasmine Starr-Kidd, WONDROUS REALITIES is a story of change. It's also, I think, one of the most contemporary pieces of theatre I've seen. On set, Jasmine's calendar shows March 2023, adding an almost surreal sense of immediacy that saturates the show.

Unsurprisingly, the tech for this show is incredible. The Alliance Theatre is well known for its amazing technical work and this small show delivers in a big way. Featuring a bright and colorful bedroom, a gigantic supercomputer, and a working time machine (complete with flashing colors and some smog) Caite Hevner's incredible design feels larger than life.

The soundtrack for this show is of-the-now, featuring several songs you might hear on your local pop radio station. Christopher Darbassie's sound design also includes unique noises for time travel that make sense to the world of the show. Ben Rawson's lighting design features sunlight streaming through a skylight-like window, colorful lights that flash and dance around, and presentation-style spotlights that create a bright and colorful world onstage.

Costume Designer Shilla Benning has some serious style. Everyone in the show felt incredibly well-dressed and with a well-developed sense of personal style. They were so stylish, in fact, that at times that I was distracted by what a good fashion sense this little twelve-year-old girl has. I caught myself drifting off analyzing outfits and wondering where I could find similar pieces.

Now, imagine Bill Nye the Science Guy meets Hal from Malcolm in the Middle and you'll get a good idea of Jeremy Aggers' performance as Doug in this show. Quirky, nerdy, and pun-tastically positive, Doug is an amiable and goofy guy trying to be the best father he can be. Aggers' delightful spring in his step made me root for him often.

Brandon Burditt plays Jasmine's Uncle Craig, although I'm more inclined to call him Minon Craig. Planning a party, hurtling through the space-time continuum, and finding a job in the past at his niece's behest, Craig is the perfect "yes man." Bruditt's wit, humor, and humanity dazzle in the moments his character gets to do more than follow orders.

Kendra is Jasmine's mother, played by the gorgeous Dana Deveaux. An effortlessly cool and beyond-smart scientist, Kendra is more often talked about than seen on stage. When Deveaux does grace us with her presence, she often brings a calm and grounded energy with her that feels like a soothing balm.

A man of many voices, Joe Knezevich plays two characters stuck behind a screen - Corporal Delmar, the bumbling government official, and Todd, the heartsick schoolboy in love with Jasmine. For both roles, Knezevich Zooms in via Jasmine's supercomputer and fills the space with quality comic relief.

Playing both Older Jasmine and Jasmine's supercomputer A.I. Grace, Sydney Terry delights with her brightness. Using a robotic lilt in her voice, Terry crafts a compelling A.I. that I wish we'd be able to get to know better personally. Sure, calculating equations and algorithms in seconds is Grace's job - and she does it well - but how did she feel about it?

I'm unsure why, but something about Penny Schick's performance as Jasmine didn't feel grounded the night I saw the show. With lightning-fast delivery - which at times was difficult to follow - Jasmine seemed to operate in extremes. Schick's energy at the beginning felt intense and militant. By the end, it was almost as if she had burnt out. Shichk's final monologue felt genuinely vulnerable as Jasmine broke the 4th wall to speak directly to the audience for the first time.

This play features many Black characters, but I feel it lacks the Black experience. Perhaps because it was written by a White playwright? Sure, there are wall posters of Black leaders and kente cloth throw pillows in Jasmine's room, but other than those tokens, race seemed to have no consequence, impact, or deeper meaning. As a mixed-race heroine pined for her Black mother, I felt as if there was a vast array of connections and implications left unexplored in service to the plot.

Director Tinashe Kajese-Bolden highlights this show's fun whimsicalness as it speeds through time while slowing down the more tender moments of connection. In fact, I reference Marvel's Ironheart and Moon Girl because this show feels as if it could easily fit in Riri and Lunella's world. Spunky attitudes and wild gesticulations abound creating an almost comic-book-like effect.

If you're looking to see some spectacular time travel and zany characters connect on stage, then you're looking to see THE MANY WONDROUS REALITIES OF JASMINE STARR-KIDD at the Alliance Theatre's Hertz Stage. Don't miss your chance to be dazzled!

THE MANY WONDROUS REALITIES OF JASMINE STARR-KIDD runs March 1st - April 1st, get your tickets here!

To post a comment, you must register and login.