“The Prior 55,” which recently played at Theater For the New City located at 155 1st Avenue, was a very deep play, written by Andrea J. Fulton. It told the story of a woman named Mahala, who wanted to help a homeless man named Redman Blue, living in a rural community in Louisiana. The audience watched as Mahala, after seeing the Bluesman sing in the French Quarter, tracked him down to his place in the woods and attempted to understand his situation. A psychiatric nurse, she first tried to break the ice by offering him a sandwich, which he refused. She kept trying to get him to explain why he lived in this particular place in the woods and why he preferred living outside than in the comfort of a home.
Redman eventually explained to Mahala what it meant to him to have the sky as his ceiling. Listening to their conversation helps emphasize that what society deems “normal” does not always apply to everyone, and people should not be judged harshly because they don’t fit the norm. People have trauma in their lives that can change them forever and how they cope with that trauma should be their choice as long as they are not hurting themselves or others. If you haven’t walked in a person’s shoes, you can’t understand why they do what they do. Also, who are we to judge someone because their lifestyle makes us concerned about them?
When Redman finally shared why he chose to live in that particular spot, the events that led to this action had multiple layers of trauma and abuse related to his father. Redman, his mother, and his brother were abused on a regular basis, and eventually he lost the people he loved to horrific circumstances. I don’t want to give away any more details than that. If this play is mounted again, please go and see it.
Martine Fleurisma as Mahala and veteran actor Michael Green as Redman Blue mesmerized the audience. They played their roles with humor, drama, concern and empathy. Fleurisma played Mahala with a strong sense of compassion for Redman, but her character also had her own demons that she was battling — hammering how even as individuals deal with challenges, they can still help others. Green played his character with empathy, dignity, and conviction. His portrayal helped the audience to truly see that Redman had been through horrible situations in his life.
The play gave the audience a lot to ponder about that homeless person that you see and wonder about their choices. But you truly don’t know what that person has been through and you should not judge them, lest you be judged.
The play featured poignant direction by Patricia R. Floyd. All the technical elements came together well and featured set design by Ulric O’Flaherty, costume design by Omar Sama’ey, sound design by Ken Coughlin, and stage management by Lawrence Floyd. The production was presented by Theater For the New City and Fulton Arts Foundation. For upcoming productions visit theaterforthenewcity.net.