My overall impression
#SeeItLA – Ryan Vincent Anderson delivers a great performance, shows much versatility in switching from one character to the next, and the script is solid as it is which makes this production a definite #SeeIt. However, it lacks the emotional punch that it could have so easily carried, had the script not left the meat of the story off stage. Instead of putting the character in each scene, and letting us see the emotion and feeling illicited by each circumstance (like almost being illegally sold into slavery), the script is simply a recitation of all of the events in Ira Aldridge’s life, with no room left for how each event made him feel. Despite this, Anderson succeeds in infusing genuine feeling wherever he can, but his hands are tied. He is not truly given the opportunity to fully embody Aldridge.
