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A House With No Walls
By Thomas Gibbons
Directed by Louis Contey
At Timeline Theatre
615 W. Wellington
Chicago, IL
Call 773-281-8463 www.tinelinetheatre.com
Wednesdays & Thursdays at 7;30 pm
Fridays at 8 pm
Saturdays at 4 & 8 pm
Sundays at 2 pm
Running time is 2 hours, 10 minutes with intermission
Through December 21, 2008
"What you live for is a chance to stick it to whitey. You used to fight for something, now it's all performance art." "Actual history is messy.” Lane to Camara
Timely look at 21st Century race questions offers a balanced view
Thomas Gibbons’ third play in his “race trilogy” (including “Bee-luther-hatchee” & “Permanent Collection”), “ A House With No Walls” is a Chicago premiere that is inspired by an actual event in Philadelphia. In 2002, a new Liberty Bell Center library was being built on the exact location where George Washington’s Philadelphia house stood. His slave quarters next to the house were to be covered over. This caused a controversy pitting an old civil rights liberal African-American against an academic Black conservative. Gibbons dramatizes the contemporary conflict that polarizes the Black community. 
"History is the story we tell each other to keep moving forward." So stated Cadence Lane(Amber Starr Friendly), the PhD Black conservative who argues that the black community has been so busy trying to win concessions from their perceived oppressors in a ‘victim mentality’ that they have failed to actually improve their own community. That blacks must help themselves by putting a value on education and self reliance. Gibbons balances that view thru the character of Salif Camara (A.C.Smith in a passionate performance)—an old-style liberal black activist in the Jessie Jackson mode. Salif still is obsessed with past wrongs done to blacks. He keeps his race in a victimized state that hinders progress. He views the new black conservatives as turncoats who have traded their responsibility to their community for a place in the power structure of the white establishment. Gibbons offers a balanced view of this controversy through a finely structured drama. He ties the determined Washington slave, Oney Judge (Leslie Ann Sheppard in subdued empathetic turn) to Cadence Lane through their spirit of strength.
We see how the past sins are still present in today’s debate and how white America easily becomes uncomfortable with this debate. Steve O’Connell, as Allen Rosen and Mark Richard as Steven Gardner together with Eric Sherman-Christ as Austin Judge complete this fine cast. Lou Contey nicely develops the race discourse and our uneasiness with such topics. There is an excellent and engrossing story here that fuels the debate as it presents it in context of contemporary America. Gibbons also tells Oney Judge’s story of how she escaped from slavery after realizing that George Washington wasn’t going to free his slaves upon leaving the American Presidency.
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This thoughtful drama is rich in ideas and dilemmas that this current Presidential election may solve. Starr Friendly and Smith are powerful advocates for both points of view in the black community. Kudos to Timeline Theatre for presenting such an innovative play. “A House With No Walls” frames the debate that still rages for the hearts and minds of all Americans. This show is excellent theatre.
Highly Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: November 1, 2008
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