Oscar winner Dianne Wiest goes head-to-head with Tony winner Tonya Pinkins in the new racially charged play "Rasheeda Speaking.” NY1’s Roma Torre filed this review.
Everyone is a little bit racist, so the song goes, and so playwright Joel Drake Johnson wants us to think with his provocative drama “Rasheeda Speaking.” But while matters of race are not quite so black and white anymore, Johnson paints the play's conflict in a muddied shade of grey, and the message is confused. Happily, though, one thing is clear: the New Group is giving us a Boffo production.
It is set in a doctor's office where we meet a surgeon and his two receptionists - one white and the other black. Ilene, the white woman is favored by the doctor because she is pleasant and easier to work with. Jaclyn, by contrast, is brusque, combative and even on occasion, rude. Dr. Williams wants to replace Jaclyn, but because she is black, he needs to build a case to human resources. So he enlists Ilene secretly to document Jaclyn's missteps, and she makes a bunch of them.
Jaclyn is a smart woman who has been shaped by a lifetime of bigotry - perceived and real. While that explains her difficult behavior, it is still hard to sympathize even when it is apparent that the white folks are determined to be rid of her. Black or white, as written, she is clearly not right for the job.
Fortunately, this company is very right for their jobs. Cynthia Nixon, in her directorial debut, finesses the nuanced dynamics beautifully. Darren Goldstein, seeming more sexist than racist, stops just short of villainous. Patricia Conolly as a subtly racist patient is excellent. And from Dianne Wiest as the meek Ilene and Tonya Pinkins, her hostile colleague, we get a master class in acting. They are magnificent.
The play makes a symbolic reference to the insidiously toxic nature of racism, but the conflict here seems more about workplace chemistry than racial prejudice; and it works better as a character study. From that perspective, “Rasheeda Speaking” speaks volumes.