CenterStage Review of Ten Acrobats In An Amazing Leap Of Faith

When I was growing up as a teenager my parents bought a motel in Ponders Corner (Lakewood). The motel was the closest motel to Fort Lewis and had a constant influx of American soldiers from various countries around the world. Along with the soldiers, the wives and children accompanied them were quite often foreign born and raised. Sometimes even grandparents accompanied the journey to America and beyond. Struggles over even simple everyday actions sometimes resulted in confusion and tempers.

Don’t worry, “Ten Acrobats In An Amazing Leap of Faith” really has nothing to do with acrobats, but does share the involvement and adjustments needed to understand new situations and attitudes. We do see how one particular family learns to adjust. The play offers humor and adjustments for the characters and the audience. The play was written by Yussef El Guindi. From clothes to music we go from acceptance to denial and back again. Half naked young women, is accepted and then declined as the family struggles for an understanding of a new culture and deciding how they will fit in.

We really like this earlier review from Pioneer Press by Catey Sullivan which touches much of the action and attitudes of the storyline: “The drama comes from an emotionally vivid story that captures a world of anger, joy, love and frustration as it plays out in a Muslim-American family. The appeal lies in El Guindi’s ability to transcend ethnicity while still writing a rich depiction of a Muslim family.”

The Cast Bios

Kimberlee Wolfson and David Breyman are the only actors in this produciton with experience via CenterStage. Kimberlee performed as Elsie in the production of Ghost Train. David appeared in Oregon Trail and Tortuffe. All three are favorites. In the future we hope to see more of the Acrobats in other CenterStage! productions.

The crux of the storyline in this presentation is the fight between tradition and new values – the family immigrated to the United States from Pakistan – and the realities of American life. In the old country, the father is the final decider of every decision that comes to life. The father pontificates, the mother tries to smooth over the differences between him and the children. These are high school students and they want to participate in American friendships and activities.

The daughter has always worn the head scarf to cover her hair but she wants to be modern. She shows up in a red miniskirt and shirt tied under her breasts. The son is expected to go into the family business; he wants to follow his own path. That’s it. Every parent in the world has had to grapple with the same issues. Freedom for the kids to choose their own path or follow in the footsteps of their parents’ expectations.

The sympathetic family friend Aziz (played by Sameer Arshad) tries to help the father Kamal (played by Abhijeet Rane) see the consequences the family will have if the father insists that the traditional way is the only way the family can operate. How do they work it out?

From India to South Asia to Pakistan all eight actors in the production also have extensive acting credits and come across nicely on stage.

The production runs through June 16th. For more information AND tickets, please visit https://www.centerstagetheatre.com/