See it: Killadelphia: mixtape of a city
By Irene Alvarez, Marketing Project Manager
Available Light Theatre has wowed me once again.
This time, they’ve done it with Killadelphia: mixtape of a city . I attended a preview of the production on Saturday, which will open to audiences this week.
I now find myself still thinking about the show, which I’ll undoubtedly do for some time. In the days ahead, I’ll continue to contemplate the stories it tells and the realizations it stirs in its audience.
It’s just that kind of performance.
Killadelphia examines crime and murder in Philadelphia, and does so in a unique way - by bringing to the stage the voices of inmates who are serving life sentences in Graterford Prison. Their accounts and thoughts are interwoven with those of the city’s residents, political talk show hosts, prison employees and others.
Amazingly, all these characters are brought to life by a single individual on stage. A single individual with a great deal of talent. Sean Christopher Lewis, Killadelphia playwright and actor, shifts from role to role remarkably.
Lewis also plays himself in a role that guides the audience through his real-life experience of creating the play. As he reenacts his interviews with inmates and shares his own reflections, he forces you to take an unvarnished look at what is happening in America’s cities.
You might also find yourself confronting what you really believe, or don’t believe, about the human condition.
Sean Christopher Lewis, together with director Matt Slaybaugh, deftly tell gripping stories that also manage to explore complex societal issues. In true Available Light fashion, Killadelphia masterfully entertains and artfully educates.
What will you think? What will you feel? What will you learn?
Find out. The show opens Thursday and runs through Sunday. For a full list of showtimes and other details, click here .
Tags: arts, Available Light, theater
September 22nd, 2009 at 1:22 am
I’ve seen three other plays by Sean Lewis, “Militant Language,” “The Brothers Delapino,” and “I Will Make You Orphans,” and all three were excellent. Don’t miss this one.
September 23rd, 2009 at 8:00 am
…and, if you attend a show that includes a talkback afterwards, stick around for it. You’ll find that Sean is as personable as he is talented, and to hear him and Matt tell tales about the creation of Killadelphia makes experiencing this performance that much better.