Under the Mango Tree was a show that I almost didn't see. The only time that it fit in my schedule was a 10:30PM performance and it was its own trip downtown.
I am so very glad that I didn't stay in.
Telling a semi-autobiographical story spanning what would have to be about 10 or 12 years, it lets us into the life of Timal a 10-yea-old girl at the start of the play, whose father leaves her village in Fiji to find a new life in Canada. As the years pass, the only communication Timal has with her father is through the letters they write to each other.
There is a lot to like in this show. First, it tells a story that feels real. It neither glosses over pain, nor does it dwell on it. It mixes dissapointment and hope, joy and resignation. Moreover, it does not fall into a cliche story pattern, which I was happy to see.
Congratulations to Neenesh Dubois, who performs the show simply and with integrity. I must also say that even with the very small Tuesday late-night house, her energy and commitment never wavered.
This play shows a side of the immigration story that is not given enough attention, and does it nicely. Well worth seeing.
I am so very glad that I didn't stay in.
Telling a semi-autobiographical story spanning what would have to be about 10 or 12 years, it lets us into the life of Timal a 10-yea-old girl at the start of the play, whose father leaves her village in Fiji to find a new life in Canada. As the years pass, the only communication Timal has with her father is through the letters they write to each other.
There is a lot to like in this show. First, it tells a story that feels real. It neither glosses over pain, nor does it dwell on it. It mixes dissapointment and hope, joy and resignation. Moreover, it does not fall into a cliche story pattern, which I was happy to see.
Congratulations to Neenesh Dubois, who performs the show simply and with integrity. I must also say that even with the very small Tuesday late-night house, her energy and commitment never wavered.
This play shows a side of the immigration story that is not given enough attention, and does it nicely. Well worth seeing.