Ruined’s harrowing portrayal of Congo war
War is hell.
What matters, as playwright Lynn Nottage explores in her Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, Ruined, now playing at the Everyman Theatre, is how one chooses to deal with it.
For the soldiers of the Congo — like Commander Osembenga (Manu Kumasi) of the ruling government, and rebel militia leader Kisembe (Gary-Kayi Fletcher) — war offers the ultimate expression of freedom.
But this is a freedom from morality, civility, mercy, and all the common bonds of what we judge to be humanity. War is a fiery floor where their unleashed ids may frolic in the bloodshed and maidenheads of the subjugated men and women about them.
For others, war is economic opportunity. War affords men like Mr. Harari (Bruce Nelson) the chance to trade in gems and minerals torn from the earth as it is dug and blasted away by miners and soldiers alike.
But for women, war is only a destroyer of both flesh and fantasy. Dawn Ursula plays Mama Nadi, a woman who has mined a niche of her own, eking out a living as proprietor of a hardscrabble, corrugated-iron-enclosed bar-and-brothel.
Ursula portrays Nadi as a woman in perpetual movement, almost dancing across the stage as she interacts with cast members, as though there is continuous music playing in her head.
Based on real experiences
One comes to understand there’s a method to Nadi’s madness, for she is feverishly working to keep her oh-so-delicately balanced view of reality from falling apart.
There are considerable forces at work — drawn from Nottage’s interviews from real-life DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) war survivors — to destroy that balance. Fortunately, not all are evil.
Enter Christian (Jason B. McIntosh). If he is so named to represent historic Christian values, like grace, hope, love, faith and service, he does not disappoint. McIntosh portrays Christian as someone simple on the surface, but in fact a complex and compassionate man (Mama calls him “Professor”). He is driven by his love for Mama Nadi and family to endure a variety of sacrifices.
Will Christian somehow survive a war where children decapitate men with machetes? Will he win that “last dance” with Mama? We aren’t sure until the play’s final scene.
You see, Christian represents a threat to Mama Nadi’s sense of order: Who has time for romance when you’re trying to survive in a war zone?
As Christian presses for some sign that his feelings might be reciprocated, Nadi stops moving, stands firm, juts out her chin and is defiant. It’s a stance she takes often, whether it is standing up to false saviors of the people like Kisembe and Osembenga (their respective rhetoric almost identical despite representing opposite sides in the war), or reminding “the girls” at the bar who is in charge.
In hopes of offering his sister’s daughter some form of refuge, Christian brings niece Sophie (Zurin Villanueva) and her friend, Salima (Monique Ingram), to Mama Nadi’s. Mama derides Salima for being “plain,” and refuses to accept Sophie when Christian informs her she is “ruined” — a term meaning so defiled by countless rapes as to make her “useless” in the flesh trade.
Mama Nadi is ultimately swayed and takes Sophie in; this is the first true crack in her armor, one that will continue to grow, painfully, as the play continues, leading up to a final revelation which is at the core of Mama’s pain.
Solace in fantasy
Pain is the currency the women of this brothel deal in. Ingram’s Salima is one more refugee whose life and dreams were destroyed by war. Her fantasy of returning to her husband and her village is threatened on numerous fronts.
Bueka Uwemedimo, who plays her estranged husband, Fortune, is also aptly named, as what he represents — a return to an idyllic life of sweet gardens and blue skies — is a fortune to be had, but a wild gamble at best.
Jade Wheeler’s Josephine, the daughter of a village chief, lives a fantasy where she will go away with Mr. Harari to live in the big city as befitting her royal heritage. Sophie reads romance novels to Josephine and Salima to help reinforce a dream of a happy, loving life, for which there appears to be little hope.
If Josephine’s fantasy is about status and Salima’s about marriage, Sophie’s dream is to free her mind — to learn, to have a career. A one-time university student, she is put in charge of keeping Mama’s accounts, and since she cannot “entertain” in the usual way, sings songs instead. When the soldiers visiting the bar grab her, one physically feels the pain of her “ruination.”
Well-paced and directed
Director Tazewell Thompson does an exemplary job in keeping the play well paced, encouraging vivid and in-your-face performances by this cast of 17 actors.
Kudos to scenic director Brandon McNeel for creating a realistic set, accenting the far corners of the stage with piles of broken barrels, chairs, bicycles and tables, representing the chaos that dwells all around Mama Nadi’s haven.
In the end, the war that Mama Nadi fights so vainly to keep out bursts through her door, blood is spilled and there is death. But while Mama and her charges may be beaten, they are not defeated.
Nottage’s play is about the incredible resiliency of the human spirit. Despite its darkest manifestations, there can be grace and love.
Ruined continues its run at Baltimore’s Everyman Theatre at 315 W. Fayette St. in downtown Baltimore through March 8.
Tickets range from $34 to $60 and may be purchased by calling (410) 752-2208 or by visiting www.everymantheatreorg. Patrons 62 and older can receive a $6 discount off tickets for Saturday matinees and Sunday evening performances.