My friend Nicole and I have a very limited subscription to the Goodman Theater. Recently, we had the privilege of seeing "The Convert" in the Owen Theater.
The play takes place in colonial Zimbabwe around the turn of the 19th century in the home of Chilford, a native Zimbabwean man, with aspirations of becoming a priest in the Roman Catholic church. Chilford employs Mai Tamba and later Jakesai, who comes to be known as Ester As the title of the play would suggest, Chilford works tirelessly to convert the natives in his town. His efforts have varying degrees of success. But no convert seems as pure or as righteous as Ester.
And that is the crux of the play. Throughout "The Convert", Ester struggles with fully adopting her new way of life, while feeling a sense of duty to her family and her culture.
The first act of the play was slow and full of context-setting dialog. On a Wednesday night, it's difficult for me to sit through a performance that doesn't immediately grab my attention. But I persevered and the acts improved. The third act was by far the best. Suspenseful, dramatic and compelling, I was disappointed when the play was over.
"The Convert" plays at the Goodman Theater until Sunday, March 25th.
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