So many things in this world captivate us: Love, alcohol, delusions, our own selves, art—the list goes on. These motivate life-changing decisions, as all of us are held captive by our desires, dreams and delusions each and every day.
Local playwright and director JaJuan Turner of Turnerman Productions, illustrates these ties that bind in his new play Captivated, which chronicles the struggles of an urban American family with conflicting ideologies.
In the play, the three brothers have vastly different personalities, causing tension within the family. Vernon, played by Turner, has been married to his high school sweetheart for 16 years. He is a functioning alcoholic who holds his Christian faith close to his heart as his daughter spirals out of control. His brother Malik, played by Kyeeir Russell, is a narcissistic, deadbeat dad who vows to never get married.
Jamal Knight stars as the third brother, Emmanuel, a divorced Iraq War veteran that questions everything from government policies to religion and processed foods. “Emmanuel feels like all of our freedoms are eroding,” Turner said, “we should not have our rights slowly but surely taken away from us.” Emmanuel shakes the family up when he quits his high paying job to open a barbershop in the “hood,” planning to expose a diabolical plot by world leaders to empower the people, as Turner describes.
“Choices have consequences, we all have choices to make in our lives that lead us in certain directions,” says Turner, “but what causes people to make certain decisions? Is it the way you’re brought up, is it your atmosphere, is it just the fact that that’s the way your mind works? Or are you being lead by something that you can’t really see, but you can feel?” This play reflects on the vices and ideas that captivate people everyday while challenging who or what is actually in control of our actions.
Turner has been writing plays for 10 years in Toledo and this is the first performance under Turnerman Productions. His works have been compared to those of Tyler Perry, dealing with the tribulations of the urban American family, but Turner rejects the comparison. “I respect Tyler Perry tremendously, but we’re two entirely different people. I feel like the comparison is apples and oranges, our styles are totally different,” Turner says.
This performance is a striking glimpse into not only Turner’s reality, but into our own as well. Inspired by personal and second hand experiences gleaned while living in Toledo, Flint, MI and other cities, he creates dynamic characters with compelling stories. Turner describes the performance as “a liberty lovers experience,” in both the personal and governmental liberation senses. Captivated is an onion of a play, where you must peel, think and be entertained by every layer.
Captivated is not suitable for children as it includes strong language, sexuality and violence. Advance tickets are $20, $25 at the door on the day of the show. Only one performance, Saturday, August 24 at the Maumee Indoor Theatre at 7:30 p.m. For tickets and purchasing information contact JaJuan Turner at 419-490-4214 or email t[email protected].
