Why Sunset Limited?

I often ask why. Why not, why me, why now, why, god why? Sometimes, this is self-indulgent pity-party ranting. But sometimes, it leads me to the heart of something that has been bothering me. When I attend theatre, I subject it to the same line of questioning. Why this play? Why now? Why should I care?

Too often, the answer is money- this play is being performed because the theatre desperately needs money and this play is a vehicle to obtain the necessary funds. This is reasonable on some level; I don’t want to see any more arts staff out of the few jobs that are available. But it’s not an answer that fulfills my desire to participate in quality art. Plays produced for the money often rely on spectacle and that’s just not what interests me.

That’s not to say that good art cannot or should not make money. Some of the best shows I’ve seen in the last few years have been at the Seattle Repertory Theatre and they have a huge budget. I am, however, tired of sitting through productions where I feel that the commercial transaction I made in purchasing a ticket is more important to the theater than the production in front of me. Tired too, of plots with no relevance to me, or those plays which actively talk down to me as a woman, a poor person, or someone looking for quality art. I am deeply tired of shows that are over-produced because they are easy and audiences love them. Ahem, Christmas shows, anyone?

To be completely fair, I must subject my own shows to the rigors of questioning and scorn that I am poised to heap on the hard work of others. Why Sunset Limited? Why now? And why should you care? I will confess, I tried and failed to read Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy’s critically acclaimed novel. It was extremely masculine to the degree that I felt there was no point of entry for a female reader. But I loved the movie version of his novel The Road, because it told a story I cared about. What happens to ordinary people when the world collapses around them?

If The Road asks that question on the scale of society, Sunset Limited asks that question of two individual men. One man (Black) was almost killed in a prison fight; he chose to spread the word of god in the hopes of saving people before they were subjected to a similar fate. Another man (White) becomes slowly disillusioned with his life, and the impact that intellectual reasoning has on his soul. He attempts to end his suffering through suicide. But if these options weigh down opposite ends of the scale, the debate that rages in the middle is one that impacts everyone in our society. What is the value of ministering to the poor? What is the value of an education? Is religion a weakness or a calling?

I have seen story after story in the news about religious fanaticism. At the same time, religion is considered an impolite topic of discussion. Limiting our discussion of religion out of fear of fanaticism allows fear and division to flourish. Ignoring racism accomplishes the same task. Sunset Limited brings these topics into the open and creates dialogue- the first step to understanding a problem is to acknowledge its existence.

It’s so easy to plan for the worst, gather your guns and guard yourself and selected loved ones against the oncoming horde. But that horde is not faceless and nameless- they are someone’s sisters, mothers, husbands, friends. So you can build a fiefdom and spend all of your time and energy defending it. Or you can change the world so that you don’t need a fiefdom to begin with. What will make your neighbor seem less scary? What will make your neighborhood more safe? Reaching out and starting a conversation is a good first step. 

If this production of Sunset Limited starts that conversation, then it has done its artistic job of holding a mirror to society and asking- is this who we are? Is this where we want to go? That is why this play is important to me; because it asks difficult questions in a meaningful way about relevant issues. This production will entertain you, but you will not leave empty minded.