{"id":355147,"date":"2024-05-28T08:19:10","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T12:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/?p=355147"},"modified":"2024-05-28T08:19:10","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T12:19:10","slug":"brutally-beautiful-long-way-down-triumphs-at-olney-theatre-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2024\/05\/28\/brutally-beautiful-long-way-down-triumphs-at-olney-theatre-center\/","title":{"rendered":"Brutally beautiful ‘Long Way Down’ triumphs at Olney Theatre Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes a show punches you in the gut even when you go in knowing the source material and fully aware that it\u2019s not your grandfather\u2019s musical. The world premiere of Long Way Down<\/em> presented by the Olney Theatre Center is such a show. It\u2019s challenging, chilling, and charged with emotion, sparking live-wire energy as if lightning might strike at any moment.<\/p>\n

Long Way Down<\/em> reckons with a reality of street rules when a loved one has been killed. When Will\u2019s brother is slain, he must wrestle with the rules that he (and those before him) have respected and followed. No crying and no snitching are the first two. But it\u2019s the third that thrusts Will into an abyss of anguished pain and misery: avenge the death. The entire story spans the 60 seconds it takes Will to ride in an elevator from the eighth floor to the lobby. He\u2019s carrying a gun in his waistband, grief and anger by his sides. Will plans to kill his brother\u2019s murderer, his traumatized psyche a jangle of random thoughts, as he descends floor by floor, joined on each one by ghosts from his past, each a former victim of gun violence.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Parris Lewis, Tyrese Shawn Avery, and Cheryse Dyllan in \u2018Long Way Down.\u2019 Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The talented actors Tyrese Shawn Avery, Io Browne, Victor Musoni, Colin Carswell, Parris Lewis, Cheryse Dyllan, Quincy Vicks, and Naiqui Macabroad all excel in representing the moments, characters, and understandings of the lives that unfold before us.<\/p>\n

Under Ken-Matt Martin\u2019s capable direction, Long Way Down<\/em> moves at a breakneck, breathless pace. The immersive performance forces you to question assumptions about the lives behind the statistics and the ready dismissals about the perpetrators and victims of gun violence.<\/p>\n

The overall production design is outstanding. For example, Simean Carpenter\u2019s set features a life-sized fabricated elevator complete with buttons. The open view of Will and Shawn\u2019s bedroom wall displays a photo of Allen Iverson going to the hoop. Metal risers suggest cages echoing the elevator cage, and perhaps the mentally confining existence of the apartment\u2019s inhabitants. Costume designs (Danielle Preston) portray the characters true to their essence and era. For example, Mike\u2019s hair is covered by a knotted stocking cap (keeping his hair \u201ctight\u201d), and Uncle Mark wears a cap emblazoned with the name \u201cBullets.\u201d (Old-school Washingtonians will recognize it as the former name of the Washington Wizards, who were known as the\u00a0Washington Bullets\u00a0from 1974 to 1997.)<\/p>\n

Book\/lyricist\/composer Dahlak Brathwaite and Khiyon Hursey (additional writing) have created a narrative masterpiece. Their predominantly hip-hop storytelling is complex and nuanced. The language is rich. The poetry is powerful. The rhythms are varied with echoes of gospel, R&B, and Michael Jackson slipped in too.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve read Jason Reynolds\u2019 2017 award-winning novel-in-verse, Long Way Down<\/em>. The Olney Theatre\u2019s R&B and hip-hop musical adaption allowed me to engage with the story with an added sense of urgency and immediacy. It put me inside Will\u2019s head and forced me to feel his escalating tension and confusion as he traveled down, down, down. There are numerous showstoppers. One comes early from Io Browne, as Will\u2019s mom. Her performance of \u201cThe Cry #1\u201d completely blew me away. Tyrese Shawn Avery (Will) takes us on a journey to the lobby that is heartbreaking. His grief is palpable. His confusion is plausible. But his reality is undeniable because \u201cThe Rules\u201d are inviolate. Why? Will tells us: \u201cThey weren\u2019t meant to be broken. They were meant for the broken to follow.\u201d As Will, Avery\u2019s performance is a tour de force of believability through gesture, singing, movement, and soulfulness. He is stunning.<\/p>\n

Music direction (Cedrick Lyles) and sound design (Kevin Lee Alexander) are stupendous. The prowess of the live accompaniment backing the book and lyrics is top shelf. It seamlessly switched multiple styles, tempos, and genres of the Black American music tradition, delivering an exuberant hip-hop and rap (predominantly) sound explosion. Harkening to some of the earlier time frames referenced in the show, if mixtapes of the show had been for sale they would have sold out.<\/p>\n

\"\"
TOP: Victor Musoni (co-choreographer with director Ken-Matt Martin); ABOVE: Parris Lewis and Tyrese Shawn Avery, (up top:) Quincy Vicks, Colin Carswell, and Naiqui Macabroad, in \u2018Long Way Down.\u2019 Photos by Teresa Castracane Photography.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The choreography (Ken-Matt Martin and Victor Musoni) is exceptional. It reflects and amplifies the dynamics between the characters on the stage from push and pull to tension, with characters circling one another as thoughts swirl in Will\u2019s mind. It is moving and masterful. At the other end of the emotional spectrum, the joyous couple dance between Io Browne (Shari) and Quincy Vicks (Mike) is infectious and synchronized.<\/p>\n

Olney Theatre\u2019s Long Way Down<\/em> is brutally beautiful. Opening night with Jason Reynolds in attendance was a triumph concluding with a sustained standing ovation. I highly recommend this haunting production. Approach it with an open mind. Depart it with an open if wounded heart.<\/p>\n

Running Time: 90 minutes, no intermission.<\/p>\n

Long Way Down<\/em><\/strong><\/a> plays through June 23, 2024, at Olney Theatre Center, Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD. Tickets ($55\u2013$90) are available online<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0or through the box office at 301-924-3400, open from 12 pm \u2013 6 pm Wednesdays through Saturdays. Discounts are available for groups, seniors, military, and students (for details click here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The program for Long Way Down<\/em> can be viewed here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

COVID Safety:<\/strong> Face masks are recommended but no longer required to attend events in any Olney Theatre Center performance spaces.<\/p>\n

Long Way Down<\/em><\/strong>
\nBook, music, and lyrics by Dahlak Brathwaite
\nAdditional writing by Khiyon Hursey
\nAdapted from the bestselling novel by Jason Reynolds
\nCo-choreographed by Ken-Matt Martin and Victor Musoni
\nDirected by Ken-Matt Martin
\nMusic direction by Cedric Lyles<\/p>\n

FEATURING
\nTyrese Shawn Avery (Will), Io Browne (Shari), Victor Musoni (Shawn), Colin Carswell (Frick), Parris Lewis (Buck), Cheryse Dyllan (Dani), Quincy Vicks (Mike), Naiqui Macabroad (Mark).<\/p>\n

LIVE ACCOMPANIMENT
\nPiano \/ Conductor: Cedric Lyles
\nBass: J Anthony Dix
\nPercussion: Evander McLean<\/p>\n

PRODUCTION DESIGN
\nScenic and Lighting Design: Simean Carpenter
\nCostume Design: Danielle Preston
\nMusic Programmer: Nick Hernandez
\nSound Design: Kevin Lee Alexander
\nStage Manager: Robbie Armstrong III<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The world premiere musical is challenging, chilling, and charged with emotion as if lightning might strike. By AILEEN JOHNSON<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":355151,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,18],"tags":[1302,1303,1113],"class_list":{"0":"post-355147","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-featured","8":"category-reviews","9":"tag-dahlak-brathwaite","10":"tag-jason-reynolds","11":"tag-ken-matt-martin"},"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nBrutally beautiful 'Long Way Down' triumphs at Olney Theatre Center - 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