Between Two Knees, written by The 1491s and directed by Eric Ting is a scathing look at American History. Scathing if you’re white and especially if you learned history of this country from a book written mid-century to the Millennium. This play demonstrates we have been comfortably numb and it’s time for us to squirm a bit to understand our part in what went before and how we can change.
The Ensemble consists, alphabetically, of Jennifer Bobiwash, Rachel Crowl, Derek Garza, Justin Gauthier, Shyla Lefner, Wotko Long, James Ryen and Shaun Taylor-Corbett. Gauthier is “Larry”, our interlocutor and guide through terra incognita, a land we don’t recognize because like a Western town in a Hollywood movie, we’ve only seen one side. The 1491s use humor to skewer us toward a greater understanding and I felt exactly as they wanted me to feel after watching the top level view of the experiences of one family as America continues to use indigenous people in the worst possible ways. I am hungry to know more of what I didn’t before and equally determined to help create change.
I sat in the Matthews theatre, very conscious of my fellow audience members. Patrons ranged in age from late 20s to 80s and the energy in the room varied with a theremin-hum at times – something on the edge of hearing. I fancy it was our ancestors’ apologies. There are funny moments, some bitterly so, and the Ensemble is expert at touring us through history with a light enough hand. I found myself leaning forward and leaning back, taking it all in. It was a perfect evening of theatre for me – thought provoking. Have you ever enjoyed a play while the roiling thoughts about the subject move in unsettling ways? That’s Between Two Knees.
A co-production that includes Seattle Rep, The Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Yale Repertory Theatre as well as McCarter, this is a show whose time has come. From Gauthier’s Larry who calls us out at every turn, to Rachel Crowl who plays every bad white person, to each and every player who sometimes make changes so quickly to new characters it is truly magic. See. This. Show.
Between Two Knees plays until February 12. Plan a season around McCarter for what’s before what’s next. Contact the box office at www.McCarter.org.