Soho Rep Proudly Presents. . .

The Soho Rep’s latest presentation carries a memorably ridiculous title: We are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915. The play concerns the genocide of a Bantu tribe early in the 20th century. Meta-theater in itself is not a new idea; but the playwright, Jackie Sibblies Drury, setting up the event as a rehearsal in search of the characters. The play opens with the announcement of the play’s subject and the unnamed characters. Then, the development from the playfully awkward first scenes to the culminating drama of high emotion. in which the rehearsing actors find themselves intractably enmeshed in, was ingenious, powerful, and totally engaging. The audience seated on folding chairs closing in on the action is forcibly drawn into experiencing the actor’s emotions. No less than the playwright, the director Eric Ting’s craft, especially in the use of the pauses and declamations was truly admirable as was the work of the lighting and sound designers.