'Tearing Down the Walls' by eta Creative Arts: Story of hooking up in Bronzeville needs an update
THEATER REVIEW: "Tearing Down the Walls" ★★ Through Feb. 13 by eta Creative Arts Foundation, 7558 S. South Chicago Ave.; Running time: 2 hours; Tickets: $30 at 773-752-3955 or www.etacreativearts.org
Daniel Beaty has been attracting much attention in New York for his solo work. His piece “Emergency” won him an Obie Award. And the hugely successful “Through the Night,” which Beaty calls a “soul aria” and wherein he plays six different black American males in the midst of life-changing moments, will return to off-Broadway in January.
But last Thursday night, Beaty could be found in the audience at 7558 S. South Chicago Ave., where the venerable eta Creative Arts Foundation was premiering another of Beaty's works, “Tearing Down the Walls.”
Clearly, eta, whose mission emphasizes plays that “affirm the tradition, transcend the condition” has found a kindred spirit in Beaty, whose plays most certainly promote positive behavior. “Tearing Down the Walls,” which is set in Bronzeville, focuses on a 30-year-old, sexually inexperienced woman (honestly played by Shanel Taylor) who must learn a variety of lessons from the importance of safe sex, to the riskiness of hooking up with a random guy you meet at an “L” station, to the value of finding a loyal, good man.