Whose Child Am I Anyway?—Corrib Theatre—June 18th-July 18th

 

“What a Piece of Work is Man…”

    This 30-minute, radio play, is by Bisi Adigun and directed by Bobby Bermea.  For tickets, go to their site at:

https://corribtheatre.org/whose-child-am-i-anyway/

    This is a particular timely piece, what with the Black Lives Matter movement, the murders of black individuals from racism and the institution, at long last, of a Juneteenth holiday, recognizing the ending of slavery in this country.  It doesn’t excuse any of this, mind you, but only emphasis the distance we still have left to go, to end racism once and for all, against folks for the color of their skins…Blacks, Asians, Native Americans, Latinos, et. al.

    The most blatant example of racism to me was  the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII.  We were also at war at this time with Italy and Germany, too, but were any Italian-Americans or German-Americans put in camps?  No, because the color of their skins was essentially white, meaning the Japanese-American were imprisoned simply because of the color of their skin, not because they were potentially the enemy…Shame On Us!

    This story touches on similar lines, as an educated, Nigerian teacher, Biyi (Don Kenneth Mason), married to an Irish woman, Cathy (Danielle Weathers), a pharmacist, is unable to get a position because of the color of his skin.  They presently are expecting their 18-year-old, daughter, Roisin (Celia Torres), home from a trip visiting relatives.  It should be a time of joy and celebration, except  an unexpected letter arriving that will change everything--forever!

    More I cannot tell you because of discoveries for the listener, but it is a doozy.  The three actors are so good, that you can easily visualize them almost in front of you.  Bermea, a very experienced director, succeeds in bringing this important tale to life. It does touch on the questions of Paternity and the age-old riddle of Nature vs. Nurture, as to who we really are.  The explanation I like best, is that “it takes a whole village to raise a child,” which encompasses a lifetime!

    I recommend this production.