My first exposure to Dael Orlandersmith's work was "Forever" Reading that review again., I see I rained down superlatives upon it. "Until the Flood" is even more entrancing, and at times seems like a impossibility. I was silently awestruck at the way she inhabited such diverse characters. At times Olandersmith disappears so completely into the roles that she seems almost like a conduit.
"Until the Flood" examines the Michael Brown Shooting through the eyes of several residents who live near the scene. The most admirable aspect of the production is its even-handedness. Even the unapologetically racist electrician is given space to describe events in his life that may have led to misplaced anger. The bravest thing about the show is its unabashed excoriation of the fence-sitting White Liberal, having one characters state "At least with a bigot, I know where I stand." That's bold remark to make in a show where that category of people is likely to make up a large segment of your audience. Still, virtually no character or group emerges unscathed, except perhaps the Universalist minister who pleads for love among all, ultimately she's the only one who deserves to be unblemished, because her view is the best we can hope for.
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