KPRuinedCritique

Kate Plumblee

**//Ruined//** **Review** Imagine sitting in a room, completely pitch-black dark. Abruptly, someone in the room turns on an intensely bright flashlight that shines unerringly into your eyes, both blinding and entrancing you. Witnessing the University of Georgia’s adaptation of Lynn Nottage’s //Ruined// can feel like exactly like staring at this flashlight; her portrayal of the human experiences in a war-stricken Congo is a stark wake-up call to all who attend. In fact, from the first appearance of Adetinpo Thomas, playing Mama Nadi, to her final, hopeful dance with Elliott Dixon as the poetic Christian, each scene turns out to be more shocking than the last. The 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama may not embrace complete perfection, but it contains exceedingly poignant and powerful moments that redeem each flaw. During the three hour window in which the University of Georgia actors take on Nottage’s lost, raped, and damaged characters onstage, I often found myself holding my breath, completely absorbed in each word and phrase. By the time of the final applause, however, I realized that despite its enrapturing and extremely powerful message about the forgotten Congolese people, I still did not understand the background of the text and, more importantly, the meaning of the title and most significant word in the play, “ruined” (it actually means “raped by a bayonet” for those who see //Ruined// in the future). Nottage could unquestionably eliminate some of the less important moments, such as the short, one-song scene just after intermission, or drawn-out descriptions and replace them with further clarification of the situation behind the dramatic action. Nevertheless, the heartbreaking tale of rape, blood, battles, and how to survive in a war-torn country sprinkled with hopeful gleams of redemption leaves the audience with a meaningful and new perspective on a worldly topic. Despite the difficult and complicated story behind //Ruined,// many aspects of the University of Georgia’s production remain remarkably simple; upon entering the Cellar Theatre, for example, the audience sees only two black tables, four chairs, a bar with two stools, and a birdcage. Another scene creates a bedroom with three beds merely using thin blankets draped over crates. Although the set’s minimalist effect may be the result of the production’s low budget, it effectively depicts the dismal situation in which the characters exist. By maintaining bare, unadorned, and colorless surroundings, director (and scenic designer) Dr. Freda Scott Giles illustrates that Mama Nida and her cohorts live on the breadline, hungry, impoverished, and desperate for more. The lighting, too, is simple and insignificant for most of the show—bright and full-stage during scenes and dimmed as soon as the actors exit. However, unlike the set, the lights can adjust during the show to highlight moments of extreme importance in the University’s production. Lighting designer Erin L. Muller successfully uses this opportunity on several occasions, creating flashes of complexity that enhance the intricacy of Nottage’s story. One such occasion, when Muller spotlights Salima as she tells Sophie of the fateful day of her rape and kidnapping, best exemplifies this effect; because the audience can only make out Salima’s pained face, they focus on her emotions and further grasp the powerful essence of her character. In addition to the lighting, the costumes and sound counteract the minimal and sometimes gloomy nature of the set, creating a more involved and elaborate effect to further support the believability of the text. Upon first entering the small, quaint Cellar Theatre, an upbeat, cultural tune plays as the seats start to fill. This music, along with the music chosen to play between scenes, relieves the building tension resulting from intense dramatic action. Devyn Trottier’s other shining moments as sound designer include the impressively accurate sounds of rain and gunfire, two seemingly inconsequential background noises that actually further allow the audience to fully participate in Nottage and Mama Nadi’s world. The costumes, too, utilize intense detail to generate their inviting effect; the bright colors of the women’s dresses and the realistically soiled shirts of the men again draw the audience into the performance. In fact, the first costume that appears onstage—Mama Nadi’s vibrantly colored red and yellow dress—is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also helps to demonstrate the culture of the play. Additionally, the costumes cleverly employ color as a tool to represent status within the story of //Ruined//. The Commander, for example, wears all black and camouflage, while the affluent Mr. Harrari wears a white suit, subtly demonstrating the extreme differences between the two characters. The actors, on the other hand, are somewhat of a “mixed bag;” some add to the effect of the lighting, costumes, and sound, while some take away from the performance entirely, distracting the audience and ruining the plotline. My personal favorites and the two most believable performers in the show, Adetinpo Thomas as Mama Nadi and Adedolapo “Dali” Adekunle as Salima truly capture the pain, grief, and heartache that the real women in the Congo experience daily, as their characters are based upon true events. The two also deliver some hard-hitting and challenging lines in impeccable accents, a talent difficult and time-consuming to master. In fact, Adekunle even begins her performance before the start of the play by telling the audience to power off their cell phones and obey the other rules of the theatre as her character Salima, a brilliant tactic of director Dr. Frida Scott Giles. The second-tier actors, those that present plausible yet flawed performances, include Jennifer Latimore as Sophie, Autumn Reeves as Josephine, and Elliot Dixon as Christian. While Latimore’s supposed role is as one of the stars of the show, she remains somewhat reserved and average throughout the entirety of the play, refusing to completely grasp the complexity and density of her vital character. Conversely, Dixon and Reeves embrace the essence of Christian and Josephine as the show progresses. Even though Dixon’s initial performance is extremely shaky and his intonation can be confusing, he eventually uses humorous body language to display his character’s entertaining nature. Reeves, too, develops her character’s strong attitude through body language; her signature cold stares and lip-smacking only increase as the show progresses. The majority of the rest of the actors give similarly mediocre and somewhat forgettable performances not worth mentioning. Peter Campbell, however, as Laurent and the medic, completely ruins the effect of the rest of the show—his stony face is not only awkward, but also uncomfortable to watch. He does not fit in with the rest of the cast in any way. Thus, though he is memorable, Campbell is entirely miscast and does not belong in any production on-campus requiring complex acting skills//.// In the end, while this production of //Ruined// holds many obvious flaws, I still recommend that University of Georgia students attend a showing. The of-the-moment topic of the Congo is often ignored, yet necessary to understand and acknowledge. This show will inspire you, like me, to learn more and investigate further into the horrible sex crimes committed daily in Central Africa as a result of war and turmoil, taking one small step towards positive action against them.