Kia Corthron’s 1997 play, Splash Hatch on the E Going Down, packs a lot into its story, and not all of it lands effectively. But it’s undeniably depressing to realize how many entwined issues Corthron illustrates here—environmental racism, high infant and maternal death rates for Black babies and women, the effects of gentrification—have only become more urgent in the last 28 years.
Splash Hatch on the E Going Down
Through 4/13: Thu–Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 3 and 7:30 PM, Sun 3 PM; Sat 3/29 3 PM only, Sat 4/12 7:30 PM only; Definition Theatre, 1160 E. 55th St., definitiontheatre.org, $25-$35
Directed with a sensitive hand in its Chicago premiere at Definition Theatre by Cheryl Lynn Bruce, this production should be celebrated for doing what most of society doesn’t: it centers the voices of young Black women. Thyme (Jada Jackson) is a pregnant married teenager in Harlem and a budding environmental activist. She and her husband, Erry (Jabari Khaliq), live with her parents—Ollie (Stetson Pierre), who works as a long-haul trucker, and Marjorie (Quenna Lené Barrett), who provides childcare for a wealthy white family. Thyme’s best friend, Shaneequa (Rita Wicks), has one baby and another on the way, which has cut short her previous dreams of being a track star.
Corthron’s characters have a tendency to talk past or at each other rather than directly connecting. At times, it works: Jackson’s Thyme, who is a voracious reader, particularly on pregnancy and environmental issues, can rattle off stats but occasionally seems to have difficulty communicating with those closest to her. It’s as if the information she’s meticulously collected is a kind of shield from the day-to-day reality, especially as a health crisis caused by lead paint begins to dominate her family’s life. I think it’s also a way of reminding us that, as smart as she is, Thyme is still a teenager trying to come to terms with emotional maturity.
The relationship between Shaneequa and Thyme resonates most closely as the two friends wrestle (at one point literally) with their complicated feelings about each other and their own choices. There are parts of Corthron’s play that feel a little inchoate, but Definition’s production ultimately makes us care about Thyme and her family and see in them the harm done by systemic racism and the hope embodied in defiantly choosing to keep dreams alive.
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2025-03-25 15:15:36
