Juliette (Erica Tazel), a beautiful young survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, arrives in Simon's office with her meticulously researched book about that horrific event. She is very proud of all her trips to library to get every detail exactly right and is crushed when Simon (Louis Lotorto), a fallen poet who now helps refugees deal with their trauma through writing, gently suggests that her work is rather dry and uninviting because of it.
The crux of Sonja Linden's very affecting play is the relationship between Juliette and Simon, which starts off rocky and full of disappointment, and slowly allows them to learn to trust in each other and in their own selves. Neither has been able to write what is true for them, and their gradual, cautiously growing friendship eventually allows their barriers to break down.
Director David Rose keeps a paradoxically loose and tight rein on his actors, allowing them great freedom of expression without making maudlin, or sentimentalizing, the terrible Rwandan tragedy. Tazel and Lotorto are marvelous together, beautifully matched opposites in most every way, struggling to free themselves from personal demons and finding safe harbor in each other. So perfectly cast are they, it seems impossible to imagine any other actors in these roles.
Rose and his excellent design team (David Potts, set; Don Guy, lights; A. Jeffrey Schoenberg, costumes; Cricket Myers, sound; MacAndME, props) keep every element of the show clear, simple, and free from fuss. When Juliette finally manages to recount the gruesome massacre of her family, her telling of it is all the more effective thanks to Rose's directorial restraint and Tazel's willingness to delve into the unimaginable darkness. And to watch Lotorto's Simon struggle with his blossoming interest in this intriguing girl, and take in her tale of what happened, is to experience heartbreak and hilarity in the same moment.
The Rwandan genocide remains a disgraceful chapter in human history that should never be forgotten. Thanks to Linden's powerful script and fine productions such as this, awareness will grow and the story will carry on.
Presented by and at the Colony Theatre, 555 N. Third St., Burbank. Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 & 7 p.m. (Also Sat. 3 p.m. Aug. 26-Sep. 2, Thu. 8 p.m. Sep. 7-14. Dark Sun. 7 p.m. Aug. 20.) Aug. 19-Sep. 17. (818) 558-7000, ext. 15.