White Noise Review

Pulitzer Prize-winning Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks unleashes an earthquake in order to erase the surface and reveal what lies beneath Liberal Society.

White Noise opens with a monologue by Leo, one member of the quartet, who will take us on an adventure for the next few hours. And what a ride it would be.

He is now revealed to have been brutally beaten by local police in an obviously racially motivated attack. Leo, a black man, has suffered from insomnia since childhood and is now suffering from racially motivated attacks. Ralph (white), his college best friend, had given him a white noise machine that was supposed to help him sleep. However, he feels it is suffocating his creativity and has decided to give it up. Dawn (white), his partner, is a lawyer and an example of rectitude. Dawn wants him to face charges. This is all pretty standard fodder for plot lines so far.

This isn't a typical play. Leo decides to sell himself to Ralph, his best friend, as a slave for 40 days. He believes that no other white men would ever take advantage of another white man’s property.

This is the beginning of a descent into a Kafkaesque series of events, which measures a high 8 on Richter Scale for the Liberal society they and we live in. Ralph, the earliest of white men to wake up, takes to slavery ownership quickly and is a White Supremist in actions and utterances that go beyond what one would recognize as venial.

While his partner Misha (black), hosts an episode of "Ask the Black", where listeners can ask her questions that they wouldn't dare ask someone of color.

Misha, who is also on her own journey, has two minds about her show. Dawn, however, finds herself grappling with her insecurities, from colonialism to her white saviour problem. These are the vivid and wonderfulal colours and canvas SLP uses throughout the play.

The White noise runs for almost three hours, but Polly Findlay's direction keeps it moving at a steady pace. Its surrealist nature and unpredictable nature keep you wondering what the next step will be, as well as what has just happened. You will be captivated by the British cast, who keep you engaged in a plot that can become too absurd if it is not careful.

White Noise is a fusion of many ideas and themes. It can be difficult for us to understand what she wants to convey to us. It is evident that she is showing that underneath our thin veneer of liberal society and proclamations for greater equality, there is an ugly underbelly that reflects a longing for the past. Perhaps what we really want is to be masters and to have someone below us. Perhaps civilisation is what civilises us, and without rules and norms, we can become quite ugly. Perhaps we only sleep well because we listen to liberal society's mantras and believe we are good people.

I'm not sure, but I was shaken and very happy to be awakened from my peaceful slumber. Overall, I believe this play was phenomenal with brilliant performances from all the actors. I loved that it explores themes relevant to the times and does so with such care. I hope to see more plays like this in the future and I am always happy to see society normalize topics like this through entertainment. Though some may call this "woke" garbage, I think our new "woke" culture is necessary to promote discriminated cultures and ensure everybody can have a prosperous future.

Seek it out and you will be amazed at the changes in your life.