THE PLAY: After a young Black man gets into trouble at school, his parents try to keep him from going down the wrong path.

THE PRODUCTION: Even though there’s lots of passion in this script, the focus on the social statements interferes with a gratifying emotional experience. As the troubled student, Trevor Lawson makes a solid impression. Sasha Wakefield (his mother) only had one line delivery: angry. As a result, she failed to create an empathetic character. Her scenes with Iman Shabazz (the father) felt more like they were reciting lines than communicating. Director Katrinah Carol Lewis allowed the pacing to lag too often, especially in the beginning. The scenes with Laine Satterfield and Todd Patterson were the only times the pacing revved up. The set by Brian Barker was impressive, but required scene changes that slowed momentum. There’s a gigantic screen and 4 side screens that sometimes reflect the environment and other times present montages that reflect the lyrics of the scene-change songs. The projections by Dasia Gregg sometimes proved distracting, while Steven Koehler’s lighting added dramatic moments.

THE POINT: The play itself is fervent, but unresolved and the production lacked polish, while focusing more on the anger than a resolution. Running time: 1:35 (no intermission) (2.5 / 5)

At Virginia Rep production thru 11/7