(L-R) Michael Kevin Darnall, Justin Weaks, and Ryan Jamaal Swain. Photo by Chris Banks.
Historically, HIV has been a hugely misunderstood and stigmatized virus and the media has been none too kind to folks who’ve contracted it. Only relatively recently, with plays like “The Normal Heart” and “Angels in America,” have playwrights been allowed to showcase experiences from a community that was hitherto invisible. That being said, many well-known stories surrounding HIV and the AIDS epidemic primarily champion white actors and playwrights and feature storylines wherein protagonists are doomed to act as metaphors rather than fully formed humans. This play exists to give names to those metaphors. “One and Two” written by Donja R. Love and directed by Raymond O. Caldwell, presents three unnamed characters who exist in a liminal space, wherein they are destined to tell and re-tell the story of a man who finds out he has HIV and ultimately takes his own life. The audience has the task of choosing which actor plays which character through applause, and the selected actor plays the character who has contracted HIV. In the play, this method of selection is untested. The characters decide that they are tired of being forced to choose who among them will perish via ticketing machine and so enlist the help of the audience. “One in Two” strives to break the cycle of torment often forced upon characters in queer-centric theatre.
…an excellent, razor-sharp play with a powerfully beating heart at its center.
On the afternoon of June 4, at the beginning of the show, character number one, played by Michael Kevin Darnall, asks that his character be given a name. This unprecedented request unnerves characters two and three, played by Justin Weaks, and Ryan Jamaal Swain, respectively, as they are uncertain whether the omnipotent force controlling their actions will allow this change. Curiously it does and character one is allowed to proceed with the name “Donte.” It’s possible playwright Donja R. Love was alluding to Dante’s “Inferno” in choosing this name, referencing the purgatory these characters are forced to inhabit. In naming the character, Love forces the audience to get to know him rather than seeing him as a statistic.
Donte and characters two and three take us on a journey through Donte’s life, beginning in childhood all the way up to Donte’s pre-written demise. Both Justin Weaks and Ryan Jamaal Swain play many parts. We see Weaks as Donte’s loving mother, troubled by her child’s lack of emotional support, as well as Donte’s one-night stand. We see Ryan Jamaal Swain as Dante’s sort-of-ex-boyfriend who promises to stay by Donte’s side before ultimately ghosting him, as well as a nurse at the office where Donte has his check-ups. All three actors are excellent and move nimbly from garnering laughs to bringing us to the brink of tears. Darnall as Donte was a revelation. When we reach the point where Donte is supposed to end his life, he decides that that isn’t the way he wants the story to end. Darnall’s fear and rage are palpable as he attempts to escape from his character’s fate. In the final scene of “One in Two,” Justin Weaks speaks directly to the audience and quite literally tells us to stop looking at him. He pleads with us, asking how many queer people of color have to die before there is change, and we can feel how tired his character is of serving as a catalyst for the audience’s guilt.
Mosaic Theater Company is in possession of a gorgeous black box, and three-quarter thrust was just the way to do this show. Bringing the set and actors out into the audience helps us feel like we are truly part of the story and leaving one side of the stage hidden lends a fantastical element to costume and prop changes. A round of applause should be given to scenic designer Nadir Bey for creating such an ingenious set. Most new costumes and props come from the three bathroom stalls upstage center, as well as the healthy gap between stalls two and three. At one point, the three actors pull out previously hidden stools and fashion the set into a bar scene. In this show, the simple things triumph. The bar stools are stored sleekly under the large counter which occupies most of the downstage center playing space. The resulting stage picture is a minimalist’s paradise. Because all the scenic dressing is made of the same starkly white, plastic material, the furniture seems to come from within the stage itself. The whole thing is reminiscent of some sort of spaceship or ghastly, otherwordly creature. Along the same lines, the projections, lighting, and sound design highlight this weirdness to a tee. Lighting designer John D. Alexander and sound designer Cresent Haynes have concocted technical sorcery that gives the actors so much against which to play. The unseen, dark force that is ever-present in this play’s Sarte-esque setting certainly has a personality, likes, and dislikes. None of this would exist without the tech and director Raymond O. Caldwell has put together a team of visionaries.
Excellent tech plus great acting certainly makes for a good show, but it is the direction that really succeeded in gluing the storyline together. Tipped too far one way or the other, Love’s story about heartbreak, death, and hope could easily become a somber tale of tragedy. Caldwell clearly took the time to work with the cast on the progression of the narrative, ensuring that each jump in the timeline is clear and each moment sparkles with new energy. When action occurs it is swift and clean, courtesy of fight choreographer Sierra Young. A moment of violence is jarring and happens so fast, it is impossible to tell how one of the actors ends up with so much stage blood on his shirt. All fight choreography throughout the show possesses the same sense of urgency, albeit with clear acting boundaries. We are never afraid the actors are going to hurt themselves and this allows the audience to be completely present. Overall, “One in Two” is an excellent, razor-sharp play with a powerfully beating heart at its center.
Running Time: Approximately one hour and 30 minutes with no intermission.
Advisory: Adult content, mentions of self harm.
“One in Two” runs through June 25, 2023 at Mosaic Theater Company, 1333 H St, NE Washington D.C, 20002. For tickets and more information, call the Box Office at 202-399-7993 or visit online.
