Social Complexity Sharply-Articulated

Ibraheem Farmer in PIPELINE with Next Act Theatre. Photo by Lily Shea.

The problems posed by the systematic socioeconomic oppression of African Americans are overwhelmingly complicated. These problems are maddeningly difficult to understand in all their complexity. An entire subset of the population has been marginalized for generations. It's GOING to be complicated. Next Act Theatre takes a thoughtful and impressively deft look into the nature of the struggles of the marginalized in playwright Dominique Morisseau’s sharply-rendered school and family drama Pipeline. Ibraheem Farmer is heartbreakingly relatable as Omari--a tensely troubled high school student who is harrowingly close to being kicked out of school for assaulting a teacher. He’s made a mistake and he knows it.  Formidably focussed Kristin E. Ellis anchors the drama in role of Omari’s mother Nya. She’s a teacher herself and she’s trying to understand the actions of her own son.

Morisseau’s script is populated by remarkably sophisticated characters who are walking through a minefield of dramatic complexity. There is a HUGE amount being explored in the script that never quite manages to make it into the dialogue. Director/Co-Scenic Designer Jamil A.C. Mangan maintains a deeply provocative and subtle complexity about the drama that embraces the complexity of the script. Will Sims II says a tremendous amount between the lines as Omari’s estranged father--a man who is desperately trying to keep everything together from a distance. This is contrasted against James Carrington’s portrayal of a school security guard with open charisma who is trying to maintain stability with a more active and compassionate energy. Active compassion is weighed against more openly  assertive energies in the character of Omari’s girlfriend Jasmine. Malaina Moore wields a tremendous amount of charisma and confidence as Jasmine, who finds herself at odds with the mother of her missing boyfriend. Tami Workentin steals a couple of scenes as a grizzled veteran public school teacher who tumbles into a couple of conversations with Nya.

Next Act Theatre’s production off Pipeline runs through Mar. 6 on 255 S. Water St. For ticket reservations and more, visit nextact.org or call the box office at (414) 278-0765.