Stage Review - Ten Acrobats in an Amazing Leap of Faith (Centerstage Theatre)
Stage Review - Ten Acrobats in an Amazing Leap of Faith
Presented By: Centerstage Theatre - Federal Way, WA
Show Run: May 24 - June 16, 2024
Date Reviewed: Friday, May 25, 2024 (Opening Weekend)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
What is the real immigrant experience like? How many of us can say that we know for sure, unless we’ve actually gone through the difficult process of moving from one country to another, acclimating to a completely new culture, and making a new life in a place where many will always consider us outsiders. It’s times like this, when looking at a situation that is perhaps difficult to relate to, where art serves a higher purpose, in the way it provides a perspective into something that may not be wholly relatable and allows us to broaden our collective horizons. Ten Acrobats in an Amazing Leap of Faith, presented by Centerstage Theatre and on stage at the Knutzen Family Theatre in Federal Way through June 16, is the kind of show that aims to do just that. This production, directed by Agastya Kohli, and featuring a cast of excellent local actors, tells the story of an Egyptian immigrant family, each dealing with their own issues of acclimation and conflict between the traditions of their home country and the cultural ideals of their new home. It’s a play, written by Yussef El Guindi, that tackles a number of issues, though never feels preachy, and is told with a good deal of humor and heart. It is a very well written piece that is performed by a cast that tackles the subject matter with a conviction that delivers the source material in such a way that it makes the audience contemplate their own lives and the lives of those around them.
The story centers on this Muslim-American family of five, father Kamal, mother Mona, daughter Huwaida, and sons Tawfiq and Hamza, who are each doing their best, to different degrees, to acclimate into their new-ish home, “new-ish” because they’ve been in America for some time. As one might expect, in a battle to hold on to the old while accepting the new, the older generation struggles a bit more than their children do, the kids a little more interested in embracing what they consider to be an evolving society. Older son Tawfiq has come to his own conclusions about religion, challenging his parents’ more traditional beliefs and considering life without faith. Meanwhile, daughter Huwaida is dealing with the effects of an arranged engagement to a friend of the family, Murad, the engagement the central event around which the story revolves for a time. She’s also conflicted about her Hijab, and the pressure she feels from those in her adopted homeland to remove it, their belief that the headpiece represents a prison, the gates of which contain her independence as a woman in the 21st Century. Finally, youngest son Hamza, a fledgling musician is coming to terms with his sexuality in the context of his religion. All of these issues create an inherent conflict within the family, the kids trying to navigate a bold new world, while the parents, especially father Kamal, grip on to their traditions for dear life. For Mona’s part, she’s as much of a traditionalist as her husband, but her conflict lies in her faith vs. the happiness of her children.
While the name of the play might imply the existence of real acrobats, that’s clearly not the case here, it’s more about the balancing between faith and social pressure, the trapeze act that life becomes when one takes a leap off of a tall platform, metaphorically. Family is the safety net here, but it’s up to each member of the family to navigate their own challenges, their own acts of daring, while making sure that safety net is still there to catch them if they fall. Ten Acrobats is extremely well written, the text is engaging and thought provoking, and this production brings that source material to life in a very well acted and presented piece that guides the audience in through its relatability in human and family experience, while at the same time shining a spotlight on the challenges of the plight of the immigrant.
Perhaps the best example of how well written this piece is happens at the beginning of Act 2. In fact, most of the best pieces in Ten Acrobats happen after intermission, Act 1 is largely setup while the second addresses each actor’s conflict scene by scene, each well written and wonderfully performed. Daughter Huwaida, played by Esha More, has been seeing therapist Pauline (Kimberlee Wolfson), discussing dreams she’s been having that all seem to center on her Hijab. The culmination of these conversations occurs in this opening scene after intermission, in which Kimberlee’s Pauline launches into a dissertation about feminism and what she feels the headpiece represents in the context of being free woman. It’s an excellent piece of writing and a superb delivery by Kimberlee. Not to be outdone, though, Esha’s Huwaida counters, challenging her therapist by asking her what the difference is between her “prison of faith” and the prison of social pressure and having to adhere to the latest fashion trends at the risk of being cast out if they’re not followed. It’s a beautiful back and forth and one that exemplifies what this play is about. Both actors’ deliveries are passionate and strong. Esha’s work throughout is genuinely very good, her delivery is quick and confident, exactly what the representation of Huwaida needs here to be an effective vessel for Yussef El Guidi’s messaging.
Rohish Deshmukh plays older son Tawfiq, then one who is challenging the traditions of his Muslim faith and the existence of god itself. Rohish is strong as the son full of conviction but afraid of the impact the telling of his feelings will have on his father. Younger brother Hamza is played well by Ejay Amor as well. Ejay’s teenager coming of age is as conflicted as everyone else in this play between his personal feelings, his faith, and the support of his family, that safety net I mentioned above. And the internal conflicts don’t stop there. Father Kamal (Abhijeet Rane) and mother Mona (Alpa Dave) each struggle with the balance between faith and family, Kamal skewing more toward the faith and his wife toward her family, this disparity a further layer of conflict and balance for these acrobats. Both actors are very strong in these roles, which require them both, perhaps more for Abhijeet, to determine whether they are going to hold firm or accept and transform their characters based on what their family is going through.
Beyond the family, the rest of the cast is very strong as well. Varun Kainth plays Murad, the one to be betrothed to Huwaida. A friend of the family, he’s thrown into the circus between Huwaida and the pressure that Tawfiq is applying to her not to succumb to the arranged engagement. The conversations between Esha’s Huwaida and Varun’s Murad are excellent, a study of love found vs. love made and adaptation in the maturing of a relationship. Varun is quite good and continues to mature as an actor, his Act 2 dream sequence an excellent piece of acting. Rounding out the cast are Sameer Arshad as Aziz, as traditional in faith as father Kamal, but more open minded to hearing different opinions, challenging Tawfiq to logic him through his feelings on god, or his lack thereof, and Devika Vyas in an amusing and thoroughly entertaining performance as HD, Huwaida’s alter ego. Devika isn’t on stage as much as some of the other actors in Ten Acrobats, but she takes full advantage of her moments and makes each scene she is in an event.
As a director, Agastya lets the actors shine in this production, his vision for the design is on the simpler side, the set largely static, though the work from Burton Yeun (scenic design), Kiana Go (set dressing), and Brittany Lael (props designer) take that static set and dress it up with furniture, carpets, and other accoutrements to help with the quality of the storytelling. A shout out as well to costume designer Morgan Morgans, with a design that matches each character and even becomes the central point of some of the key scenes in Act 2.
Ten Acrobats in an Amazing Leap of Faith challenges the audience to contemplate their own experiences in the context of the story of a Muslim-American family of Egyptian immigrants. The story itself may be specific to this family, but its messages are universal. We are all impacted by the prisons we live in, and it’s up to us to determine for ourselves if we are going to be characterized by the pressures we face or if we’re going to break out of them and be true to ourselves. Further, once we answer that, how do we balance between our own truths and those of the people we love? The Centerstage production takes this circus and brings it to the audience in such a way that it feels accessible and relatable, whether we have first hand experience with an immigrant story or not.
Ten Acrobats in an Amazing Leap of Faith, presented by Centerstage Theatre, runs on stage at the Kundsen Family Theatre in Federal Way through June 16. For more information, including ticket availability and purchase, visit https://centerstagetheatre.com/.
Photo credit: Michelle Smith-Lewis
