Review: TRIBES Continues at the Unicorn Theatre Though June 28

The critically acclaimed Tribes continues at the Unicorn Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri through June 28, on the Levin Stage. Theodore Swetz directs the humorous British drama written by Nina Raine, which made its world premiere in 2010 at London's Royal Court Theatre. Tribes opened in 2012 Off-Broadway, winning the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play.

Billy was born deaf into a highly dysfunctional family that even though they promised they would, never learned sign language. They also did not afford Billy the opportunity to learn it because they did not want him to be identified as a member of the small group of people who sign. Though he cannot sign, Billy has an aptitude for reading lips.

At a party, he meets Sylvia, a young woman who was born into a family with deaf parents and is now going deaf. As he gets to know her and the people in the larger deaf community, he starts to struggle with his own identity. He begins to resent his family for not paying more attention to him and his personal needs as a hearing-impaired person. When he moves out of the house his brother Daniel loses the self-control he had attained and begins to stammer and the voices in his head get louder.

Swetz uses multi-media to give the audience a slimmer of an experience of being hearing impaired, as dialogue appears on screens above the stage as actors sign to each other. In preparation for directing the play, he conversed with Artist Director Cynthia Levin and it was decided that they would not seek actors and teach them to sign. They would seek out individuals to take the roles that had enough talent to fit in with the cast of selected performers.

Paul Ososki is magnificent as he takes on the demanding role of Billy. Ososki is deaf from childhood and uses hearing aids to distinguish sounds. He is a kindergarten teacher at the Kansas School for the Deaf in Olathe, Kansas.

Lisa Lehnen brings authenticity to the role of Sylvia, the young woman Billy falls head-over-heels in love with. Lehnen makes her debut at the Unicorn and works as a community interpreter in sign language in the Kansas City area.

Jake Walker is superb as Billy's brother who hears voices and holds on to his relationship with Billy to maintain his sanity. Walker has appeared at the Unicorn in Other Desert Cities, Great American Trailer Park Musical, and The Santaland Diaries. Nicole Marie Green is wonderful as Billy's other sibling Ruth. A recent graduate from UMKC she has appeared at the Coterie and Kansas City Repertory Theatre among others.

David Fritts plays the father Christopher. Though most of his dialogue spoken as a scream, he lacked the empathy of a father with a hearing-impaired child. Jan Rogge does a good job in the role of Beth the mother of the family.

Tribes continues at the Unicorn Theatre through June 28. Purchase tickets by calling 816-531-7529 extension 10 or visit the Unicorn Theatre website. Photo by Cynthia Levin courtesy of the Unicorn Theatre.

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