Chesney Snow’s autobiographical play is unconventional theater. The Drama Desk award-winning Brooklyn-based theatre artist, known for his breakout Broadway role in In Tansit, tells his generational truth and bears his soul through the purity of poetry, skillfulness of dance, and the rawness of beatbox.

The Unwritten Law at Dixon Place under the direction of seasoned dance instructor Rebecca Arends, who also serves as co-writer and lead choreographer, gives an intimate look into the journey of Snow’s personal struggles and successes. The play is heavy, daunting at times, and leaves one yearning for relief but the reality is Snow’s life is filled with trickled down agony. Pain inherited from his great-grandfather, a slave lynched in 1919, whose image can be seen in a series of photos displayed as a backdrop of the play.

Snow, who serves as the play’s narrator, hurriedly jumps back and forth between past and present day. His storytelling parallels his own life which appears to be precarious. Snow’s gut-wrenching accounts of being born to an abused mother, growing up in poverty, moving from state-to-state, incarceration and finally redemption are made palatable through the on-stage orchestrations of Laura Dadap and A. J. Khaw and dancers Arends and Maleek Washington.

Arends and Washington’s powerful dance synergy at moments overshadows Snow’s narration. The dancers, nothing less than extraordinary, move in synchronization with smooth lifts, angry turns, fluid floor movements, and embittered stares effectively illustrating the volatile relationships of Snow’s mother (Rene) and her series of lovers.  Snow alludes to the American experience for African-Americans and the horrific generational effects of racism on relationships. Arends and Washington move brilliantly back and forth between the decades giving the audience a heart-wrenching history lesson while original music composed by Dadap, Khaw and Varuni Tiruchelvam, dramatizes each scene. Carefully selected colors for the dancers’ costumes, usually in leotard, accentuates the emotional stories being told, required no other theatrical accoutrements.

At any rate, if generic cialis online http://www.learningworksca.org/item-5337 you’re suffering from ED or impotence.
Snow is rarely happy on stage except for the moments he talks about his grandmother and cousin BFresh. However, these few light moments on stage are not enough to save the play from being too heavy for the ordinary person to bear.

The Unwritten Law plays limited shows through September 29, 2018, at Dixon Place – 161A Chrystie St., in New York, N.Y. For tickets, visit www.dixonplace.org.

Running Time: Approximately 1 hour and 10 mins.