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class=MsoNormal align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Racism gets
schooled in Cleveland Play House comedy ‘Fairfield’ <?xml:namespace prefix = o
ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"
class=MsoNormal align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"
class=MsoNormal align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Bob
Abelman<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"
class=MsoNormal align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Cleveland Jewish
News, The News Herald, The Morning Journal<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"
class=MsoNormal align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Member,
International Association of Theatre Critics</SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"
class=MsoNormal align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">American Theatre
Critics Association</SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P
style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-layout-grid-align: none"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Learning eyes on
me!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Listening ears!<SPAN
style="BACKGROUND: white; COLOR: #363636"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P
style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-layout-grid-align: none"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; BACKGROUND: white; COLOR: #363636; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P
style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-AUTOSPACE: ; mso-layout-grid-align: none"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; BACKGROUND: white; COLOR: #363636; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Some
playwrights inadvertently insult their audiences by talking down to them as if
they were children. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In Eric Coble’s
delightful comedy “Fairfield,” which is getting its world premiere production in
Cleveland Play House’s New Ground Theatre Festival, the playwright intentionally
treats us like actual children so we have the most intriguing vantage point from
which to view adults behaving badly.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; BACKGROUND: white; COLOR: #363636; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; BACKGROUND: white; COLOR: #363636; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">It’s
Black History Month.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And Fairfield
Elementary – the flagship facility in a minority majority school district in an
affluent and progressive suburb – is planning a celebration.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; BACKGROUND: white; COLOR: #363636; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; BACKGROUND: white; COLOR: #363636; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Enter
Angela Wadley (Nedra McClyde), Fairfield’s highly officious African American
principal, who introduces us to the concept of “diversity” and sets the tone for
this production.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>She asks
</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">“How many here
are Christian?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“How about Jewish?
<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Muslim? <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>See, that’s diversity.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And how many are Atheists?<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>That’s someone who doesn’t believe in
God.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>No. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>None of – NONE of that! <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Let’s calm – children, there’s nothing
wrong with – Children!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>CHILDREN!”
<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="BACKGROUND: white; COLOR: #363636"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; BACKGROUND: white; COLOR: #363636; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; BACKGROUND: white; COLOR: #363636; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Spearheading
the school’s month-long festivities – to include a master/slave role-playing
exercise for first graders and a racial sensitivity assembly featuring a former
Black Panther as an inspirational speaker – is Laurie Kaminski (Crystal Finn),
an overachieving Caucasian teacher who is new to the school and very eager to
please. What could possibly go wrong?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; BACKGROUND: white; COLOR: #363636; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; BACKGROUND: white; COLOR: #363636; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Well…
everything.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; BACKGROUND: white; COLOR: #363636; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">For
more of this review, go to:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><A
href=""><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT
color=#0000ff>http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/columnists/</FONT></SPAN></A></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; BACKGROUND: white; COLOR: #363636; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>