Review of "On the Grounds of Belonging"

With the Connecticut theater season just about halfway over, the best drama to open in the state so far is the world premiere of On the Grounds of Belonging, playing at the Long Wharf Theatre through November 3^rd.  This absorbing, emotionally impactful work of forbidden love will keep you breathlessly engrossed.

Playwright Ricardo Pérez González based the play on “the racially segregated gay bars in Houston,” [Texas] in the 1950’s when racial discrimination was commonplace.  At the time, there was the white bar, known as the Red Room and the black bar, the Gold Room, right across the street.

The action of the show takes place in the Gold Room, an accurately executed barroom setting by Scenic Designer Wilson Chin.  The inhabitants are Hugh Williams (Thomas Silcott), the proprietor of the establishment; Tanya Starr (Tracey Conyer Lee), a lounge singer; Henry Stanfield (Blake Anthony Morris) and Russell Montgomery (Calvin Leon Smith), two of the bar’s frequent patrons.  A recurrent presence from across the street is Mooney Fitzgerald (Craig Bockhorn), the burly owner of the Red Room.

One evening, a white woman enters the lounge to avoid a raid at the Red Room.  We soon learn she is a man, Tom, (Jeremiah Clapp), dressed in drag.  Playful banter between the out-of-place young man and the denizens of the bar leads to a tentative, but budding romance between Tom and Russell, which puts their lives in jeopardy and the rest of the characters in emotional turmoil and peril.

Ricardo Pérez González has crafted a play with people that draw the audience into their trajectory.  He pulls no punches with some of the sexually charged language and scenes.  The director has included just enough plot twists and surprises to keep viewers unbalanced.  The backdrop of the Jim Crow era provides a simmering tension not only between the characters, but also with the overall storyline. The backstories of the characters are minimal.  A more in-depth exploration might have provided a deeper understanding and motivation of each person.  Nonetheless, this is a show that keeps us consistently and highly engaged.

Director David Mendizábal brings sensitivity and passion to the production.  He doesn’t waiver, however, when he needs to be authentic and straightforward with the direction of the show.  Mendizábal provides a deftly paced production and handles scenes of rapture and conflict with honestly and aplomb.

The cast works well like a well-practiced ensemble.  Each performer brings a certain level of strength and vulnerability to the production

Thomas Silcott’s Hugh Williams is unflappable and the steadfast anchor to the volatility swirling around his bar and the lives of his friends.  Craig Bockhorn’s Mooney Fitzgerald provides the perfect counterpoint to the character of Williams.  The performer brings forth a subdued menace and threatening, low-key, manner to his role.  Blake Anthony Morris imbues his character of Henry Stanfield with an unabashed sexual thirst that sets into motion the show’s fateful denouement.  Calvin Leon Smith’s Russell Montgomery and Jeremiah Clapp’s Tom Aston are convincing as the star-crossed lovers, but their lack of a more satisfying backstory hinders their dramatic arc.   Tracey Conyer Lee, besides possessing a powerhouse voice, brings common sense and gumption to the role of Tanya Starr.

On the Grounds of Belonging, a crackling production, playing at the Long Wharf Theatre through November 3^rd.  Information and tickets are at longwharf.org.