Mother is God in this collaboration between CU Players and Black Theatre Ensemble.

Is God Is, a 2018 play by Aleshea Harris, tells the story of twin sisters Racine and Anaia who embark on a journey from the ‘Dirty South’ to the California Desert, to take revenge on their father who set a fire that severely burned their mother and them as young kids. The play was put on the Glicker-Milstein Theater stage on March 22nd and 23rd, directed by Jordan Danielle Baptiste in a collaboration between Black Theatre Ensemble and Columbia University Players.

Though the set design first struck me as simple and homey for a play with such an adventurous description– a table, on one side, a desk and sofa on another, and two ascending stairs with beige curtains in between them– it was brought to life by the dynamic lighting. By simple changes in color the lighting transformed the set from a cozy living room to a dingy hospital room. It eerily backlit the starring twins to create silhouettes behind the curtain, and expertly placed spotlights made the audience forget about anything besides the desk or the table-turned-hospital bed. The costumes were similarly simple but memorable and perfectly placed each character in their respective socio-economic category, and clever scar makeup never let the audience forget about the fire plaguing the main characters. 

What stood out most about the show, though, was the phenomenal acting. Each actor brought a unique dynamism to the stage. Tamika Dolisca and Zhamina Aaliyah, as Racine and Anaia, respectively, had a snappy dynamic and twin chemistry that was at times hilarious, at times heartwarming, and at times terrifying. Dolisca brought a fierce attitude to the role that electrified the shocking fight scenes, and though quieter than her co-star, Aaliyah’s expressive faces at times made the scene with a simple eyebrow movement. Ymanie Kenan and Zyaire Gaile were amazingly believable as an overburdened suburban housewife and earnest teen boy, respectively, and despite the darkness of the show, Bolivar Campusano and Charis Addai had the audience roaring with laughter via their roles as Scotch and Chuck. I was particularly impressed by Addai’s range: in his role as Chuck, he appeared harmlessly goofy, but in his scenes as “Man” he was either engagingly self-centered or wordlessly terrifying.

To me, the most intense and powerful scene was Bella Williams as SHE/”God” monologuing the story of the fire that began it all to their daughters. With no changes in set and no one acting out the story with them besides Addai as Man, Williams swept the scene away from their hospital bed to their former home, making the audience see and feel the moments leading up to the fire with just the inflection in their voice, small movements of their body. At the climax of the scene their screams for the safety of her babies sent chills down my spine and tears into my eyes, causing the audience to thunder with applause when the stage finally went black. The complexity and, ultimately, humanity of the mother the twins call “God,” and the evil of the man they have been sent to kill, would have been lost were it not for Williams’ phenomenal acting in this monologue.

Is God Is was a thrilling cross-country adventure with as much capacity for rage as for grief as for laughter. All the actors are ones to look out for in future productions, and the director, set and lighting designers, and every other person involved in production ought to be commended.

Image via Bwog Staff.