Inalienable Rights is an original piece by Lee Patton Chiles about the political response and bigoted rejection of Japanese-Americans after the 1941 Pearl Harbor attacks and the subsequent biased alienation of Muslim-Americans following the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
Chiles parallels the two historical events, emphasizing a character that travels in time to tie together both periods in history with excellent commentary on how we respond to and have a choice to respond to feelings of fear, anger, uncertainty and loss in crisis.
The pace flowed smoothly. Wooden poles, photos and boxes served as effective transitions and clever staging. Imagery was not compromised due to the talents of the cast, executive director and playwright.
Ahmed Hassan and Sheri Gonzalez were well-cast and their chemistry was believable. Loveable Hassan supplied humor through his charisma and through his lines. Gonzales is a true professional and transforms us along her character’s journey.
LA Williams brought forth personable, relatable characters throughout. I looked forward to his each appearance to discover more contributions to the scenes. His presence was dynamic and he was unreserved. He poured out realness and heart in each act, especially, when portraying the injured inside the World Trade Center.
I smiled with him as he joked with God. I cried with him as he realized the enormity of his circumstance and yet considered his friend. I connected with the pain he demonstrated when alone, hurt, unable to help himself. Nice going.
David Wassilak rounded out the story with strength. Each well-delivered character succeeded to deepen the production’s consideration of all people. He mastered the re-enactment of one fireman’s account of the destruction that day.
Thank you, Chiles, for incorporating a true reference to a boy who lost one parent in the towers and one on Flight 93. It brings to remembrance how tragic 9/11 was with the attack in New York but also the assault on the pentagon. The humanity that emerged among strangers ever since is nicely noted with your characters jointly applying for guardianship.
Very cute love twist tie in with Gonzalez/Hassan as I kept wondering if there was something going on in Act I.
Chiles asks the hard questions, “How does it feel to look like the enemy”?
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