Depiction of genocide stark in play

Manbites Dog Theater's most recent production, J.T. Roger's The Overwhelming, is aptly named: an onslaught of conflicting perspectives that effectively demonstrate the uncertainty surrounding the 1994 Rwanda genocide.

The play depicts a professor, his son and second wife, who take a three-month sabbatical to Rwanda. Expecting to seek out his college roommate without difficulty under the current cease-fire, the professor, along with his family, instead finds a deeply prejudiced world on the brink of disaster. While the tension comes to a head, internal familial conflicts seem inconsequential as these Americans become wrapped up in the greater issues.

Director Jay O'Berski, who is also a senior lecturing fellow in the theater studies department, constructs a torn Rwanda in the 1990s with precision. The message of the play, which O'Berski upholds, is the impossibility of knowing which side of the story is correct. Both Hutu and Tutsis characters, members of oppositional warring groups, are relatable and likeable, making condemning one party difficult. Carefully contrasted with the shocking apathy of Americans permanently residing in Rwanda, O'Berski has created an ambiguous situation: it is easy to say "I want to help," but what can one actually do?

Without props or costume changes--a decision to avoid "overproduction," O'berski said-more pressure is on the actors to carry the show. They take on the burden admirably. There are a large variety of languages, accents and backgrounds, all of which are adeptly executed. For authenticity, O'Berski obtained a recording of a Rwandan woman who survived the genocide speaking in the various accents and languages.

One of the strengths of the play is its complex development of various characters. Junior Michael Bergen, who plays the son, explained that each person researched their background in different ways. Bergen's character understood very little about the situation, whereas the Americans living in Rwanda would have been aware. From Frenchmen to Americans to native Rwanadans, the actors skillfully represent their distinct roles in society.

Despite its lack of stage ornamentation, The Overwhelming succeeds in forcing viewers to focus on the complicated reality of modern-day racial and cultural dissonance.

The Overwhelming is showing March 26 to 28 and April 1 to 4 at 8:15 p.m. and March 29 at 3:15 p.m. Tickets range from $12 to $17, and student tickets are $8 at the door with ID.