Hiding in the Shadows of Doubt

Sanctuary City

In the years just prior to, and following, the shocking and detestable events of  9/11, two young people attempt to navigate their precarious lives in a country that’s offered them asylum. Newark, New Jersey is a Sanctuary City, a metropolis that has promised to take in families who have fled oppression in their homelands. But survival is tricky, even perilous, for two teenagers who are battling prejudice, poverty and the fear of being sent back to a country they’ve never really known. All they can do is cling to each another, finding security and community in their mutual company. As lifelong friends coming of age and living on the edge, the two teens attempt to navigate their futures together.

Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Martyna Majok (“Cost of Living”) spins this captivating story about two kids, simply named G, played by Jocelyn Zamudio, and B, played by Grant Kennedy Lewis. They both arrived in America as young children, each probably from different countries and cultures, and became good friends while attending school. As the undocumented children of immigrants they, and their parents, constantly were looking over their shoulders in fear. They know that they’re not fully protected from being sent back to the horrific conditions of their native lands, and being punished for fleeing to America.

The relationship between G and B grows and blossoms. From the start it’s been strictly platonic, but as each teenager searches to find him- and herself, a romance possibly buds. To escape abuse at home, G would often climb the fire escape to seek refuge and share B’s humble apartment. Then B’s mother, tired of her mistreatment at work and living hand-to-mouth, returns to her home country. B might have to go with her, but G hopes he’ll stay in Newark. 

G’s mother, also a victim of physical abuse, becomes a naturalized American citizen; and as her daughter G, because she’s under 18, is able to apply for financial assistance to attend college in Boston. Then G offers to marry B, so that he can also achieve legal status. But B is not sure he’s morally able to go through with this plan because the young man has found love with a young guy named Henry. It’s in this last third of the 90-minute, one act drama that the stakes become raised and the conflict builds to a surprising conclusion.

Steph Paul’s direction is remarkable. Her vast and impressive resume of prior work, as well as being a first-generation Haitian-American, has given Steph Paul the skills, background and firsthand knowledge of what these two characters are experiencing. Without props for most of the play, Ms. Paul directs her actors to colorfully describe and talk about items, such as a boutonniere and a corsage for the Prom, rather than even pantomiming them. Instead of lying on a bed or just the stage floor, the actors interestingly sleep standing up. But she stages her actors all over the large, unadorned stage, using only light, brilliantly designed by Reza Behjat, to delineate scenes and paint the environment with mood and tone. Yeaji Kim’s scenic design is purposefully sparse, even when, in the later third of the drama, apartment furnishings magically rise from beneath the stage. And Mikhail Fiksel’s sound palette is equally spare, allowing the three actors to have all the focus in telling their story.

The playwright states that her drama, laced with many moments of genuine humor, is a kind of love story. It’s truly about a deep, lasting friendship that’s challenged by the politics of the early 21st century. Martyna Majok acknowledges that her characters are composites of various people she’s known over the years. She also seems to be challenging each of us to consider where our own sanctuaries might be today.

Grant Kennedy Lewis is a miracle as B. His youthful portrayal is endearing. His kindness to his friend that demands nothing in return is admirable and praiseworthy. We feel the angst his character is experiencing, trying to survive life without a mother, and not knowing if the authorities will discover him and send him back. And then when the young man figures out that he’s gay, he has another set of challenges with which to cope. and when G returns after several years, B has to confront both his friend and his boyfriend with a new set of problems.

Lovely Jocelyn Zamudio is a breath of fresh air as G. She continually brings a freshness and vitality that never fails to set the stage on fire. The audience is always in her court and cheers for Ms. Zamudio as she tries to come to assistance of her friend. In the earlier scenes we feel this young girl’s pain as she experiences abuse from a stepfather and other men at her home. G’s desperation for some affection and a “normal” family emanates from Jocelyn Zamudio, as does her empathy and devotion to her friend, B.

As Henry, Brandon Rivera, a young actor who has never failed to give a stellar performance, once again portrays a solid, realistic character. Although both Henry and G have strong opinions and feelings about B, their motivations are very different. Or are they? The conundrum in the final scene leaves the audience to choose where they believe this story will end.

If there’s a lesson to be learned in Martyna Majok’s “Sanctuary City,” it’s that life is filled with problems and conflicts, both large and small. In order to survive the turmoil and obstacles that life throws our way, we bond with others. In doing so we give our love to them and place all our trust in that individual. It’s a risk that most of us are willing to take, over and over again. But in the end we never really know if the risk will be worth the chance we take. In the meantime, we remain hiding in the shadows of doubt.                 

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented September 14-November 18 by Steppenwolf Theatre, in their downstairs venue, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago.

Tickets are available in person at the box office, by calling 312-335-1650 or by going to www.steppenwolf.org.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com