Review: THE LIGHT at The Hotchner Studio Theatre On The Washington University Campus

Greater than seventy percent of sexual assaults go unreported. Each of these victims have a face and a voice but few are seen or heard. Once they do speak of their attack often the victims are not believed even by those who love them the most. THE LIGHT, the current offering at The Black Rep, is Loy A. Webb's two-character play that takes on the painful topic of sexual assault and the victim's devastation. Newly engaged couple Genesis and Rashad are celebrating when Genesis speaks a painful truth and Rashad deflects to protect the aggressor instead of the victim. Quickly their romantic evening unravels as Genesis sheds THE LIGHT on an assault that went unreported and unpunished.

Alicia Reve' Like (Genesis) and Eric J. Conners (Rashad) take the audience on an emotional ride that includes laughter, romance, pain and grief. Their chemistry together is palpable. Their genuine, honest and authentic performances inundate the audience with emotions that run the gamut from joy and happiness to anger and anguish.

Ms. Like's adeptness to express her emotion and disappointment in her new fiancée is gut wrenching. She yearns to be believed and have the crime perpetrated against her validated. Her performance effectively conveys how desperately she wanted the man she loved to have her back. Like's performance percolates until it boils over with anger, resentment, rage, hurt and pain.

Mr. Conners' performance is at its best when he is expressing his optimism for their future. His entrance at the beginning is a delight to observe as he gleefully lays out his plans to propose to Genesis and playfully teases her when she arrives home from work. Conners' performance artfully navigates Rashad's multiple paradigm shifts as Genesis changes his perspective with her truths, including Rashad's desperation to salvage his relationship with Genesis.

Loy's dialogue driven script effectively shifts moods and tells a story that is grounded in the truths of both characters who were victims, one of a past relationship and the other of a brutal sexual assault. This 70-minute engrossing story allows the audience to examine how one's response to another's experiences can define, alter or end a relationship.

Performances of THE LIGHT continue through February 26th at The Black Rep in the Hotchner Studio Theatre on the Washington University Campus. For more information or to purchase tickets visit theblackrep.org.

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