Lookingglass Theatre
Presents the U.S. Premiere of
BEYOND CARING
Written and Directed By Alexander Zeldin
Through May 7
Close your eyes and imagine a gritty portrait of individuals who desperately cling to the poor, unfair and unjust working conditions in order to make ends meet. Now open your eyes to witness the dismal lives of those working in the conditions of the temporary assignment that may only lead to a dead-end street. Fearing that the end of the day could be the start of a new search for a job, a meal or even a place to stay, the margins of society and what our social order is telling us about the morality we feel for the less fortunate speaks volumes about the disconnect within us and the country we live in.
Beyond Caring set the stage for us to witness four temporary workers of different backgrounds who work the night shift, trying to survive on the cutting edge of existence. “Will they need me as much as I need them?” Struggling to become seen in a world of unseen employees, the question then becomes, “What do they have in common?”
Let’s be clear: Beyond Caring is not a play about presenting people with facts about temporary employment. It’s presenting them with a situation where people’s hopes, dreams and aspirations can be eliminated, destroyed or even dismissed just because they have fallen on the low side of the totem pole.
The temporary world of work is very insecure, with low wages in harsh conditions. No safety net. No insurance or protections. No guarantee of work tomorrow. We can live with the lady or man who sleeps on the bench, thankful it’s not us as we walk away without caring.
Beyond Caring’s performance about the temporary employment we see in the world today reveals how little we think about the emotional state of those living from dollar to dollar, and how that imbalance of wealth and poverty causes decay within our humanity.
Director Alexander Zeldin took the unseen, the unheard, the unknown and cast some light on this critically acclaimed piece of temporary workers precariously holding on to a job and their sanity as they sit on the bottom step of the ladder. He created a very intense, intimate experience that moved me to tears as I reflected on how we forget the forgotten.
Final Thoughts from Brenda
I closed my eyes again and imagined being in the skin of someone else working in those conditions, and within that moment I became lost within my fears. For me to have that feeling even for a moment helped me see that this play had a rare but powerful voice that spoke through interludes of silence that transformed the audience with a plethora of emotions. Yes, Beyond Caring had that special quality.
Zeldin wanted the average steadily employed person to understand the constant uncertainty that the workers lived with by articulating these issues, such as getting a paycheck so you can eat tomorrow or having enough money to buy a bus ticket.
I walked away from Beyond Caring with a deeper sense of who we are and to be able to truly see somebody else without judgment. I believe this is a must-see. Even though Rick and I wrote the review together, he was not totally sold on the overall depiction of the play. He felt that even though the acting was persuasive and emotional at times, it was a little too choppy, which caused it to lose some of its message.
I stand by my review that this is a must-see play about the sentiment that life is to be lived with dignity, respect and a sense of value. These are not only a hollow set of words spoken from our mouths, but something we should walk each day.
I rate Beyond Caring as a must-see but Rick rates it as suitable to see. Four stars for me but only 2 stars from him. So we ask you to go see Beyond Caring and let us know what you think.
The cast of Beyond Caring includes Caren Blackmore (Ebony-Grace), Ensemble Member J. Nicole Brooks (Tracy), Keith D. Gallagher (Ian), Edwin Lee Gibson (Phil) and Wendy Mateo (Sonia).
Rev. Rick & Brenda McCain are the hosts of “Let’s Stay Together Talk!”
About Post Author
