Bringing a partner home for Christmas is always daunting.<\/p>\n
Mix in two fathers with opposing political views, a dash of interracial tension and a handful of deep family secrets and you\u2019re sure to see a little drama unfold.<\/p>\n
Set in the luxurious weekender owned by the Gibson family, we are brought into Charlotte Gibson\u2019s world as she tries to navigate an incredibly tense situation. Charlotte\u2019s new partner, Francis, is a struggling musician known for his awkward and incredibly ill-timed jokes. He\u2019s also white \u2013 which proves to be the hardest thing for Charlotte\u2019s Indigenous father, Ray, to accept. <\/p>\n
As if the situation doesn\u2019t seem dire enough, Francis invites his parents to join the Gibsons for Christmas Day where they all realise that Francis\u2019s father is Ray\u2019s long-standing political rival.<\/p>\n
What ensues is a fast-paced, almost slapstick series of unravelling interactions that compel everyone to air their grievances and reveal a less-than-perfect side of themselves.<\/p>\n
Nakkiah Lui\u2019s Black is the New White<\/em> is an honest, hilarious, charismatic representation of what it means to blend families.<\/p>\n This Paige Rattray directed play is brought to life by an exceptional cast, with some genuinely stand-out performances. <\/p>\n Charlotte\u2019s sister and brother-in-law (played by Miranda Tapsell and Anthony Taufa) bring a lively and charming energy to the stage. Their ability to play off each other will have you believing this isn\u2019t their first time playing husband and wife, and although both characters have their downfalls, they\u2019re hard not to love. <\/p>\n Charlotte\u2019s mother, Joan (played by Melodie Reynolds-Diarra) is the voice of reason and brings class, strength and vulnerability to the stage. Reynolds-Diarra has perfect comedic timing and has created a character with a multitude of layers who quietly demands the audience\u2019s attention, no matter where she falls in the scene.<\/p>\n Lui has done an outstanding job of presenting a completely relatable scenario in an entirely new and unique way. <\/p>\n Her ability to open discussion around race, historical tension and culture is not only captivating, but necessary. <\/p>\n Black is the New White<\/em> is entertaining, but moreover makes the audience think about pride, culture and privilege long after they\u2019ve left the theatre. The play encourages the audience to consider their own unique identity and what it means to belong to a particular community.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to see why the Sydney Theatre Company chose to bring this engaging play back for a sold out second season, and now to Parramatta to show off the best of what they have to offer.<\/p>\n Black is the New White<\/em> is going to Riverside Theatres Parramatta for a limited season from 21 – 24 Mar 2018<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The combination of farce and familiarity in Black is the New White is set to blow Riverside away!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":80,"featured_media":3816,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[209,214],"tags":[],"geo_market":[],"class_list":["post-3815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","category-stage"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n