Pulitzer Prize-winning 'Fairview' comes in a little cloudy in its L.A. premiere at Rogue Machine

Jackie Sibblies Drury’s 2018 play “Fairview, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize the pursuing year, is simply a shape-shifting enactment that eludes an audience’s assumptions astatine each turn.

The play is divided into acts that I deliberation of arsenic movements — each chiseled conception radically altering our cognition of what has travel before. The theatergoer who walked retired successful the mediate of the archetypal question past play successful the play’s L.A. premiere tally astatine the Matrix Theatre near with a mendacious content of the work.

This Rogue Machine production, directed by signifier and surface seasoned Oz Scott, whitethorn conflict with the slipperiness of Drury’s writing. The melodramatic construction, however, is coagulated capable to withstand immoderate of the overly wide strokes of the staging.

The play begins successful the mode of a Black sitcom, but this is an elaborate ruse for a theatrical dissection of the subjects of race, representation, spectatorship and control. Don’t mistake the play’s opening facade for what is successful information an intricate and multi-layered show work.

Marie-Françoise Theodore, left, and Marco Martinez successful “Fairview” astatine Rogue Machine.

(Jeff Lorch)

In classical tv drama fashion, we are welcomed into the location of Beverly (Marie-Françoise Theodore), who is successful a frenzy preparing a day meal for her mother. Everything has to beryllium perfect, yet thing seems to beryllium going right.

Dayton (Marco Martínez), her loving husband, would alternatively get snuggly than beryllium conscripted into her catering army. Her sister, Jasmine (Jasmine Ashanti), a chaotic paper auntie, arrives with vino and a saucily uncooperative attitude. Keisha (iesha m. daniels), an overachieving precocious schoolhouse senior, has quality that she knows is going to upend her mother.

The elements are successful spot for a mediate people retread of “The Cosby Show.” But thing successful the presumption seems askew. When I saw the satellite premiere accumulation astatine Berkeley Rep (a collaboration with Soho Rep, wherever the play had its debut), I was tantalized by the mode the sitcom was subtly placed successful italics.

Sarah Benson’s pitch-perfect absorption made the astir of Mimi Lien’s perspective-altering surviving country set, forcing assemblage members to question the lens done which they were viewing the signifier action.

In the play’s 2nd movement, Drury pulls the carpet retired from nether everyone with a speech of unseen viewers discussing what it would beryllium similar to beryllium different race. This phantasy chat plays retired successful each its achromatic cluelessness arsenic the sitcom rewinds and repeats connected mute.

Marco Martinez, from left, Marie-Francoise Theodore, Jasmine Ashanti and iesha m. daniels successful “Fairview” astatine Rogue Machine.

(Jeff Lorch)

What successful the satellite is going on? Part of the pleasance of experiencing “Fairview” for the archetypal clip is not knowing the rules of the game. Theatergoers person to improvise their ain interpretive strategies arsenic the play shifts and shifts again.

Those opinionated voices fantasizing astir what it would beryllium similar to beryllium Black, Latino oregon Asian invade the household drama conscionable astatine the constituent wherever things near disconnected astatine the extremity of the archetypal movement, aft a bid of mishaps causes Beverly to faint.

The grandmother, who has stubbornly remained successful her country upstairs, yet makes her expansive entrance. But the unusual happening is that she’s neither Black nor old. She’s played by Suze (Daisy Tichenor), who was 1 of the much self-consciously wide voices reluctantly participating successful the athletics of radical tourism.

The little scrupulous voices besides invade Beverly’s meticulous household similar bulls successful a suburban china shop. Jimbo (Tyler Gaylord) impersonates Beverly’s late-arriving lawyer member arsenic though helium were a rap prima acceptable to marque TMZ headlines. Mack (Michael Guarasci), exuberantly crossing contention and gender, plays Keisha’s person who arrives with a gestation trial that ushers successful a plotline that Keisha feels helpless to reject. And past Bets (Gala Nikolić), a Slavic-sounding expansive diva with small respect for American-style individuality politics, challenges Suze for the close to play the grandma — successful a acold little restrained manner.

Jasmine Ashanti, left, and Tyler Gaylord successful “Fairview” astatine Rogue Machine.

(Jeff Lorch)

I won’t spoil however the play proceeds but it doesn’t truthful overmuch reason arsenic combust. Keisha is the lone quality connected signifier who doesn’t recognize wherefore these strangers are pretending to beryllium household members. She’s besides disgusted by the mode they’re imposing ludicrous scenarios that don’t person thing to bash with the existent identities of her household members.

Drury (“Marys Seacole,” “We Are Proud to Present...”), 1 of the astir innovative American playwrights moving today, sets successful conceptual, layered question what it’s similar to beryllium successful a Black assemblage surrounded astatine each times by the achromatic gaze. “Fairview” challenges the spectator’s authorization to find meaning. The play subverts itself, ne'er allowing an assemblage to summation a commanding foothill, adjacent astatine the extremity erstwhile (suffice it to say) the watchers go the watched.

Anyone who reads “Fairview” volition recognize the situation of producing it, but I don’t deliberation I afloat appreciated however overmuch stylistic nuance is successful play. The occupation with Rogue Machine’s accumulation is 1 of calibration. The sitcom is played not successful italics but successful neon. (The responsibility isn’t with the actors, each of whom are excellent, but with the exaggerated code that has been acceptable for them.)

The voice-over speech connected radical individuality is played arsenic evident parody — the satire screaming its caput disconnected successful lawsuit anyone should question the play’s constituent of view. I’m grateful that Rogue Machine has brought “Fairview” to Los Angeles. But I’m not definite that I would person thought arsenic highly of the play had this been my archetypal acquisition of it.

Michael Guarasci, from left, Gala Nikolic, Daisy Tichenor, iesha m. daniels, Marco Martinez and Tyler Gaylord successful the Los Angeles premiere of “Fairview” astatine Rogue Machine.

(Jeff Lorch)

“Fairview” is arsenic overmuch a show enactment arsenic a play. Subsequent productions are ne'er going to person the aforesaid coordination betwixt playwright and theatrical interpreters arsenic the satellite premiere.

Still, Keisha’s last monologue is devastating successful its plea for perceptual equity, and daniels’ show grounds the play successful thing urgently human. The heightened quality of Gaylord’s and Nikolić’s performances, off-putting successful the voice-over scene, are a blast erstwhile the worlds of the play yet merge. And Ashanti’s self-adoring Jasmine steals each country wherever she’s beforehand and center, a nonnegotiable request of her character.

Mark Mendelson’s scenic design, much elaborate than astir Rogue Machine offerings, doesn’t execute the oblique effect of the archetypal accumulation but sets the signifier successful vivid detail. The nutrient combat that explodes successful the play’s 3rd question is conducted with comestibles truthful rubbery they mightiness beryllium portion of a clown show. But it’s wide astatine this constituent that what we’re watching is meant to beryllium understood arsenic a flagrant simulation.

Drury wants america to question not lone our eyes but our paradigms for viewing. And connected that score, “Fairview,” adjacent successful a somewhat cloudy production, succeeds magnificently.