BWW Reviews: Colorful and Personalized I AM THE GENTRY Plays Capital Fringe

It's probably a subject near and dear to the hearts of many who have spent time in, or have considered moving to, some of DC's neighborhoods with the greatest mixture of races and socioeconomic classes. American University educator Cara Gabriel explores this idea of changing neighborhoods in her solo show, I Am the Gentry, now playing the Capital Fringe.

Cara and her husband moved to the H Street NE area of Washington, DC circa 2004 - as she says "before Whole Foods moved in" - after getting a good buy on a fixer-upper house. Cara, aware of the negative connotations of the word "gentrification," is adamant that she's not "one of them." Her explanation was such that, the H Street NE area simply offered one of the few homes she and her husband could afford after they decided to make the move to home ownership. It is Washington, DC after all and even those who make well above the national average might find home ownership in the "square of desire" out of reach. Over time, she realizes she is among the gentry. Her story is one of navigating an environment that's unfamiliar to her, finding opportunities and friendships she probably wouldn't otherwise have, and then making the difficult choice - due to a growing family and her children's educational needs - to move to the suburbs. On a broader level, it speaks to the power of community, and those uncomfortable issues like race and class that plague many a city, not just DC.

Cara's warm and relaxed demeanor as she tells her story from her H Street porch (production design by Tyler Dubuc) allows the audience to feel like we're all just having an intimate conversation about our daily lives and the communities we inhabit. Before the show begins, she even offers cups of water to the audience members - like you would do when any guest comes to your home - and chats with them. A decision to perform the show with script in hand - whether out of necessity or not - does break the mood a bit, particularly as she's pausing to turn pages. If she had gone 'off book,' especially as she's telling her own story, it would have allowed me to become a bit more invested than I already was.

Putting that issue aside, Cara does well to weave in thematically-based discussions of the kinds of things we don't like to talk about, but should - the state of public education in Washington, DC, racial divides in our city, divisions among social classes and much more - with her own story. They're integrated in a seamless way so it never seems that she's perched on a soapbox offering personal commentary akin to one of those talking heads we see on television.

The strongest moments in her show, directed by Chelsea Thaler, come when she introduces us to her colorful neighbors. The detailed descriptions she offers reinforce her belief that the H Street NE corridor had character then - in a good way - and they also serve to point to the fact that "we're all humans."

Bottom line? While there is nothing particularly new, original, or different about her story - and to be clear, that's what I usually look for in a solo show about one's own life - it is performed competently and likely to resonate with many audience members. For some, Cara's story might introduce them to an area they only know as "over there" in a way that we might not be possible by simply reading the newspaper. For others who have moved to the changing areas of DC, particularly in the early years of change, they might be struck by the familiarity of her story. For others still, who are concerned with some of the challenging sociological ideas she brings up, it might provide a chance to ponder them further.

Running Time: Around 60 minutes with no intermission.

I Am the Gentry has three more performances in the Capital Fringe. For date, ticket, and venue information, click here.

Photo: Cara Gabriel; courtesy of Capital Fringe website.

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