Honestly I can say The Fountain Theatre is one of those places that never disappoints. Detained, by by France-Luce Benson, conceived and co-created by Judy Rabinovitz, certain delivered with what I would expect. It takes the form of a Reader's Theatre, presented a dramatized lecture/power point about what we as a nation have been doing to those not born here for the past few decades. It makes for a grim awakening.
I did not like learning much of what I did. We like to imagine the United States does not do most of the worst things other countries do. Sadly, it has. It does.
But there lies a subtle weakness in this show. I know from my own (not very in depth) knowledge of this issue thing are much worse than presented here. Yes, I wanted to cry several times watching this performance, and a few times tears did indeed appear. But I never felt myself bleed. I never felt myself rendered silent with the power of what happened on stage. Informed, yes. Moved, yes. Transformed? No.
Which may be a much higher standard than should be required. Truth to tell, the show is very well done, conveying so much of deliberately cruel policies and the human wreckage left in their wake. The cast of Liana Aráuz, Camila Ascencio, Christine Avila, Will Dixon, Jan Munroe, Theo Perkins, Marlo Su, and Michael Uribes all do very well. The ensemble shines much needed light on a subject we all of us (including myself) need to give much more priority, more time, more indignation.
Detained plays Saturdays and Mondays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm until April 10, 2020 at the Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave. Los Angeles CA 90029 (at Normandie).
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