The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
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Cititour.com Review
Actor Sheldon Best lives up to his name with his electrifying performance as Colin in the Atlantic Theater Company’s mostly engrossing production of The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Roy Lee Williams’ updated adaptation of Alan Sillitoe’s classic 1959 short story, now being presented at Atlantic Stage 2.
Williams has moved the action from 1959 to the present day, and transformed Colin into a young Black teenager, but has retained the story’s central class conflicts and Sillitoe’s message about the young generation’s desire for independence and Colin’s revolutionary spirit. While the work has lost of some of its initial shock value, and the script occasionally lacks dramatic impact, it remains a potent reminder of how social inequality has remained much the same over the past six decades.
A high-school-dropout now living with his sharp-tongued, recently widowed mother (an effective Zainab Jah), Colin impulsively decides to break into a local bakery to earn some needed cash, and is quickly nailed by the authorities. Shortly after arriving in a prison for youth offenders, his athletic build is noticed by the higher-ups -- notably the seemingly helpful Stevens (Todd Weeks), who convinces Colin to pursue long-distance running and compete in a race against posh private school boys. In running, Colin finally finds a purpose in life – although it is unclear until the very last seconds what the outcome of the race will be.
Williams’ script bounces back and forth in time, aided by the evocations projections of Pauline Lu & Paul Piekarz to let us know where and when we are, while director Leah C. Gardiner maneuvers her rather large cast of 10 around Lauren Helpern’s cleverly designed, minimalist set. Everyone does fine work, but Best dominates the show. Not only does he manage the difficult tasks of being onstage for the entire 80 minutes and often delivering lengthy monologues while running, but he delves deeply into the troubled soul of Colin, making us sympathize with his plight despite his questionable actions.
Hopefully, Best is an actor in it for the long run – and one of whom we’ll be seeing plenty more.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
http://atlantictheater.org/playevents/the-loneliness-of-the-long-distance-runner-jan-feb-2014
Cast
Eshan Bay, Sheldon Best, Zainab Jah, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Patrick Murney, Joshua E. Nelson, Sydney Sainté, Raviv Ullman, Todd Weeks, Malik Yoba
Open/Close Dates
Opening 1/8/2014
Closing 2/9/2014
Box Office
866-811-4111
Theatre Info
Atlantic Theater Co. Stage 2
330 West 16th Street
New York, NY 10011
Map
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