WEEKEND THEATER: Raft Of The Medusa
WEEKEND THEATER: Raft Of The Medusa by Joe Pintauro: In the opening scene, a man dies an agonizing death from AIDS. The play itself is an explosive AIDS support group session, where the members discover the disease they share can divide as effectively as it conquers. The members of the group are a diverse lot, including homosexuals, heterosexuals and bisexuals, conservatives and liberals, black, white and Hispanic, rich and poor. Some of them are philosophical, some are angry, and some resigned. As the evening's discussion progresses they discover that one member, Larry, a reporter, does not have AIDS, but is tape recording the sessions for an article. They attack him verbally and physically until Nairobi, a homeless woman in the group, stabs Larry with a dirty syringe, infecting him with the virus. The others are stunned and the reporter is hysterical, until Nairobi reveals that the needle was a clean one and that she would not give the disease to her worst enemy. The other members of the group then react with a kind of awe, asking the reporter what it feels like to experience the miracle of a "cure." The quick trauma brings them together, reaching for their own comfort while they search for unattainable answers. The show will be performed Friday and Saturday, Nov. 9-10 and again Nov. 16-17. All shows are performed at the Weekend Theater at the corner or 7th and Chester streets in downtown Little Rock. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit weekendtheater.org.
