Stage Review - Sanctuary City (Seattle Rep)

Stage Review - Sanctuary City
Presented By: Seattle Rep - Seattle, WA
Show Run: March 01 - March 31, 2024
Date Reviewed: Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

As I continue to experience more and more theatre, I’m constantly awestruck, both by the unique and varied ways playwrights and directors design and present their art, and also by the ability of the actors to present the work sometimes with little to know design elements onstage. Such was my feeling after the first 45 minutes of Sanctuary City, the play from Martyna Majok and currently onstage at the Seattle Rep’s Leo K. Theatre through March 31. Sanctuary City tells the story of two “Dreamers”, unauthorized residents of the United States who entered the country as minors in a tale that depicts the resultant consequences of a situation that is truly their fate, but not their fault. The pair’s parents entered the US legally, but stayed longer than they were authorized for, and as their children now enter adulthood, they’re both faced with living in a country in which they’re not technically allowed to be, and with one misstep could be deported. The Seattle Rep production of Sanctuary City is directed by Desdemona Chiang and though there is no intermission, the play has two distinct acts.

The first act of Sanctuary City is quite a creative and impressive bit of theatre. Emilie Maureen Hanson and Junior Nyong’o play the two friends, a couple, but not a “couple”, who share a common backstory. There is nothing onstage when the show begins other than Emilie and Junior, and the story plays out through a series of conversations, short and seemingly disjointed. One conversation starts, and before you know it, another begins. Sometimes they callback to a previous conversation, and sometimes not, but there doesn’t appear to be any particular order, that is, until there is. The first act is like a puzzle, with the conversation snippets the pieces, and as more and more get put together, the overall picture starts to take shape and things begin to sink in and make sense, and when it’s through there’s this realization about how genius this production design really is. There are no set pieces in this first part, it’s just the two actors, and to watch the pair jump between conversations, switching gears between time, emotion, and context, is to see a masterclass in agility on stage. And while these actors are indeed good, this piece would be nothing without light and sound. André Pluess is the sound designer, and it’s on him to provide the background to the story. Sounds like doors or windows opening or of a brisk breeze coming in through the window that puts a fine point on the nip in the air, it’s all done with pinpoint precision, and it makes the lack of a physical set largely irrelevant. As important as the sound is to the first act, lighting is at least as crucial, if not more. Chih-Hung Shao is behind the lighting design here and his work is very impressive. The dialogue moves so quick, and the time, emotion, or context jumps even quicker. Each time Emilie and Junior change the direction of their conversation, it’s accompanied by a change in lighting. And if that’s not enough, there’s a different color mood for each type of conversation. The stage is illuminated one color when Emilie’s character (known simply as “G”) is the subject of what the pair are discussing, and another when it’s about Junior’s character (“B”). When they’re discussing their parents, or another situation, Chih-Hung applies yet another set of colors.

The first half of the show is all about “G” and “B”. They are dreamers who are faced with deportation if they’re found out, there’s no legal protection for them, and regardless of how hard they work or how well they do (B’s grades in school are in the top echelon of students), there aren’t the opportunities for higher education for them, and the only employment they can get relies on employers looking the other way when it comes to a citizenship requirement. It seems like things are never going to change for them, that it will be a continual struggle until a life changing experience happens to one of them, and then everything changes. This new change provides an opportunity for them to make a better life, and as the first half of the show ends, the two have an agreement in place that will surely make everything ok. But then comes the second act, and that flips everything on its head. After a time jump of three and a half years, times have changed, and so has the pair’s situation. The puzzle that came into view in the first act is now complete, and the storytelling reflects that, it becomes more formal and more linear. Sara C. Walsh’s set becomes more fleshed out, and with the addition of a third character, Henry, played by Josh Kenji, the story works nicely to its climax and conclusion. While the first act deals mostly with the plight of dreamers, especially after the events of 9/11, the second act introduces other issues of that time period, depicting not just an America that has no solution for the plight of these characters and those like them, but also one that is closed off in other ways socially. This later part of the show is also a study in consideration of what extent someone will go to for those they care about. There’s a lot of emotion wrapped up in this show, some heavy topics, and some contemplative moments, but it never feels too heavy. This is a credit to the playwright for sure, but also the cast and creative team for presenting something that faithfully depicts the struggle that these characters endure without feeling preachy.

Sanctuary City, Seattle Rep’s latest onstage production, depicts the struggle of a group of young adults known as “Dreamers” in the early 21st Century, trying to make their way in the shadow of 9/11 and without a clear plan for becoming a part of American society. This smartly designed play deploys some unique and creative ways of assembling the puzzle of a plot and relies on strong and agile acting to drive home the plight of its characters. The play is certainly a “thinker”, and while it delves into some pretty heavy stuff, it remains entertaining and enlightening.

Sanctuary City runs onstage at Seattle Rep’s Leo K. Theatre through March 31. For more information, including ticket availability and purchase, visit https://www.seattlerep.org/.

Photo credit: Bronwen Houck