By Barbara Smith
NEW YORK — The term “eclipse” is derived from a Greek word that means “abandonment,” “downfall,” or “the darkening of a heavenly body.” And in Danai Gurira’s play “Eclipsed,” now riveting audiences at New York’s Golden Theatre, the term takes on multilayered dimensions. In fact, light and shadow figure prominently in this spellbinding work that centers on the plight of five women in war torn Liberia and their resilience in the face of unimaginable circumstances.
Directed by Liesl Tommy, the play marks a milestone in Broadway history in that it is the first time a Broadway production has had a female playwright, a female director, and an all-female (and all black) cast. Lupita Nyong’o, with a radiance that lights up the stage, makes her Broadway debut in this groundbreaking work, but it is truly an ensemble piece that moved from its premiere at New York’s Public Theatre to Broadway in February with the entire company intact.
Nyong’o plays “The Girl,” the newest and youngest of four captive “wives” of a rebel officer known only as CO during the second Liberian civil war. In fact for most of the play, none of the characters are known by name–she is referred to as “Wife #4”–underscoring the systematic stripping down of dignity and humanity that becomes a way of life for each of the captive women. In torn Rugrats t-shirt and raggedy skirt at the beginning, Nyongo’s character arcs from childlike fear to anger and rebellion, when she is drawn to battle, never realizing until almost too late the sacrifice of humanity this kind of soldiering requires.
Playwright/actor Gurira, known by many for her work as assassin Michonne on AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” has called this work a “passion project,” which began when one of her teachers at NYU gave her an article about a girl who was a rebel soldier known as Black Diamond in Liberia because of her penchant for wearing stylish jeans and adornments with bling. Drawn to the story, Gurira traveled to Liberia for research and the resulting theatrical piece is a compilation of what she learned and the people she met. Each of the wives, though known only by their number, is developed with rich detail, each dynamically revealing her own story and navigating her situation in her own way. Through the magic of theatre, the audience enters the compound, taking in the full landscape, gritty in its depiction of the atrocities of war, and participating in a story that is intense, at times humorous, moving and filled with suspense.
Wife #1, played by Saycon Sengbloh, has been at the compound the longest, and by virtue of her longevity, declares herself the commander. Sengbloh exerts a strength and wisdom, achieving a fine balance of resoluteness and resignation, through it all maintaining a fighting spirit despite the painful hopelessness of their circumstances. Zainab Jah delivers a power packed performance as Wife #2, the militant “black diamond” who leaves the compound and, with weapon in hand, desecrates and destroys lives with, ironically, the same vengeance of the rebel officers who oppress her. Pascale Armand as Wife #3, blends an adolescent naiveté and vulnerability—high on her wish list is elegantly coiffed hair and pink painted nails—with the protective maternal instincts that are stirred when she is impregnated by CO. Akosua Busia adds another dimension to the circle of women as Rita, an activist who zealously tries to raise the consciousness of the women in the compound so they can reclaim their identity.
As the story unfolds, shadows are lifted with each character revealing her hopes –and her many dreams deferred–you will likely be inspired to learn more about the gruesome history of the civil wars in Liberia, which raged between 1989 and 2003, costing about 200,000 lives including innocent children And if, as has often been stated, theatre has the power to unleash dreams, ignite conversation and inspire change, then “Eclipsed” shines as a beacon for hope. To that end, the company has established a 10,000 Girls Initiative, whose goal it is to bring 10,000 underserved young women from the Tri-State area to the theatre. Says Nyong’o of this initiative: “Maybe their minds will be opened, their hearts will explode and something new might be possible; maybe an actor or lawyer or an activist will be born and that is the gift that is theatre, a chance to experience a story and dream a different dream for yourself.”
