Those of you who have seen this play already know that "Ruined," by Lynn Nottage, is a tour de force.  I almost missed the play--I almost didn't go.  Missing it would have meant missing a pivotal experience, one that has changed my understanding of what contemporary, politically informed theater is and what it can do.   Through an astute balance of humor and tragedy, powerful language and structural perfection, Ruined manages to take on themes that are political and contemporary but personal and deeply powerful.   The result is a play that feels Shakespearean in its depth and reach and power.  Nottage whittles the complex and brutal conflict in the Congo down to the manageable world of a brothel.   Within its walls, a battle of life and death is fought, as four women who have suffered rape and sought refuge in the brothel struggle to survive and reclaim their dignity.   

Under Charles Randolph-Wright’s direction, every element of Arena Stage's production enhances the intensity of the script.  There are no blackouts.  Instead, when set changes are required, the lights dim to reveal a thatched pattern of shadows on the floor, which the tables and the bar are lowered smoothly into.  Beds smoothy arise, and before the audience can take a deep breath the next scene is unfolding.   The live music which Randolph-Wright has incorporated—Sophie’s role in the brothel is to sing and she is accompanied by a band—bring a welcome respite from the heaviness of subject that could otherwise  overwhelm us and at the same time suggests the women’s determination to create their own world within the brothel and within themselves, a world separate from the tragic warring outside, a world in which there is dancing.  The outside world always threatens to invade and conquer the small, safe space of the brothel.  Its creator,  Mama Nadi, is a the Madame who demands that soldiers turn over their bullets to her before they sit down.  Mama Nadi is played to perfection by Jenny Jules—strong, sassy, and clever, she is lovable within the first few minutes of the play, even as she is buying young women to be her newest employees.    Jeremiah W. Birkett , as Christian, is tender and compelling.  Jamairais Malone plays a saucy, over-the-top Josephine, and Babs Olusanmokun is a terrifying, forceful Commander Osembengo.    The outstanding cast is rounded out by Rachael Homes (Sophie) and Donnetta Lavinia Grays (Salima) who powerfully portray the vulnerability of women who have lost nearly everything.  Clifton Duncan (Jerome Kisembe) embodies in every gesture evil undergirded by power.  

This evil does not win, however.  Though set among the darkness and depravity of war, Ruined is about the persistence of joy and hope and the possibility of reconciliation.  The play is a reminder of what theater, at its best, can do, and Arena’s production is a reminder of Arena Stage’s dexterity and excellence.  How lucky I am to live in the DC area.