Entertainment

Review: Racism Provocative ‘Rasheeda Speaking’

Published

11 years ago

February 12, 2015

Ora Jones, Tara Mallen and Lorraine Freund in Rivendell Theatre’s “Rasheeda Speaking” by Joel Drake Johnson (Courtesy of Chicago Theater Beat)

JENNIFER FARRAR, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — When the subject is racism, many people start to feel uncomfortable. Defensive or outraged; pick your side. It’s not a neutral topic, and “Rasheeda Speaking,”a new play by Joel Drake Johnson, doesn’t sugarcoat.

The New Group is presenting the dark comedy in a provocative production that opened Wednesday night off-Broadway, starring Ileen Wiest and Tonya Pinkins under Cynthia Nixon’s directorial debut. With that caliber of seasoned professionals, you know you’re going to get a rich theatrical experience despite the prickly subject matter.

Oscar-winner Wiest and Tony Award-winner Pinkins are both masterly in their portrayal of once-friendly co-workers in a doctor’s office. Their boss, a casually racist white surgeon, is played by Darren Goldstein as unctuous and manipulative. The doctor tries to persuade Ileen (Wiest) to make a secret record of anything her African-American co-worker, Jaclyn (Pinkins), does that he can use to make a case for firing her. His flimsy excuse is that Jaclyn doesn’t make eye contact with him, so he can’t trust her.

Pinkins is gloriously committed to her character, as Jaclyn figures out what’s going on and ramps up her campaign to keep her job. Pinkins makes Jaclyn both appealing in her situation and off-putting with her increasingly confrontative actions. Nixon’s taut direction allows for silences that are as tense as when the women are arguing.

Wiest makes Ileen seem so fragile and sensitive and just plain nice that the audience is more sympathetic to her, as the tension increases and humorous moments give way to hostile exchanges. The women’s desks are claustrophobically close, and the walls seem to close in as Pinkins, physically larger, keeps on pushing Ileen’s buttons in carefully worded provocations. Jaclyn reveals a defensive mean streak that makes the audience gasp more than once, and Wiest seems to shrivel in the unpleasant atmosphere.

Johnson has a gift for writing natural-sounding dialogue, and both women are gifted at shading the meaning of every line as their relationship breaks down. He’s incorporated many of the subtle ways that people’s prejudices can be revealed, as well as an occasional bombshell and some good old-fashioned eavesdropping to move things along. He puts some of the most cringe-worthy words into the mouth of an elderly patient, played with ever-so-sweet insensitivity by Patricia Conolly.

“Rasheeda Speaking” leaves a memorable impression of how passive-aggressive racism and suppressed prejudices play out in our everyday lives.

___

Online: http://www.thenewgroup.org/rasheeda-speaking.html

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Activism

OP-ED: AB 1349 Puts Corporate Power Over Community

Since Ticketmaster and Live Nation merged in 2010, ticket prices have jumped more than 150 percent. Activities that once fit a family’s budget now take significant disposable income that most working families simply don’t have. The problem is compounded by a system that has tilted access toward the wealthy and white-collar workers. If you have a fancy credit card, you get “presale access,” and if you work in an office instead of a warehouse, you might be able to wait in an online queue to buy a ticket. Access now means privilege.

Published

2 days ago

January 9, 2026

Oakland Post

Bishop Joseph Simmons, Senior Pastor, Greater St. Paul Baptist Church, Oakland

By Bishop Joseph Simmons, Senior Pastor, Greater St. Paul Baptist Church, Oakland

As a pastor, I believe in the power that a sense of community can have on improving people’s lives. Live events are one of the few places where people from different backgrounds and ages can share the same space and experience – where construction workers sit next to lawyers at a concert, and teenagers enjoy a basketball game with their grandparents. Yet, over the past decade, I’ve witnessed these experiences – the concerts, games, and cultural events where we gather – become increasingly unaffordable, and it is a shame.

These moments of connection matter as they form part of the fabric that holds communities together. But that fabric is fraying because of Ticketmaster/Live Nation’s unchecked control over access to live events. Unfortunately, AB 1349 would only further entrench their corporate power over our spaces.

Power over live events is concentrated in a single corporate entity, and this regime operates without transparency or accountability – much like a dictator. Ticketmaster controls 80 percent of first-sale tickets and nearly a third of resale tickets, but they still want more. More power, more control for Ticketmaster means higher prices and less access for consumers. It’s the agenda they are pushing nationally, with the help of former Trump political operatives, who are quietly trying to undo the antitrust lawsuit launched against Ticketmaster/Live Nation under President Biden’s DOJ.

That’s why I’m deeply concerned about AB 1349 in its current form. Rather than reining in Ticketmaster’s power, the bill risks strengthening it, aligning with Trump. AB 1349 gives Ticketmaster the ability to control a consumer’s ticket forever by granting Ticketmaster’s regime new powers in state law to prevent consumers from reselling or giving away their tickets. It also creates new pathways for Ticketmaster to discriminate and retaliate against consumers who choose to shop around for the best service and fees on resale platforms that aren’t yet controlled by Ticketmaster. These provisions are anti-consumer and anti-democratic.

California has an opportunity to stand with consumers, to demand transparency, and to restore genuine competition in this industry. But that requires legislation developed with input from the community and faith leaders, not proposals backed by the very company causing the harm.

Will our laws reflect fairness, inclusion, and accountability? Or will we let corporate interests tighten their grip on spaces that should belong to everyone? I, for one, support the former and encourage the California Legislature to reject AB 1349 outright or amend it to remove any provisions that expand Ticketmaster’s control. I also urge community members to contact their representatives and advocate for accessible, inclusive live events for all Californians. Let’s work together to ensure these gathering spaces remain open and welcoming to everyone, regardless of income or background.