Is God Is opens with a person whose head is encased in a burning house, foreshadowing the homicidal acts that destroy the very fabric of familial ideals. Twin sisters Racine and Anaia have been estranged from their mother for 18 years, however a letter sent from her death bed reconnects them. All three bear the scars of their father’s attempt to burn their mother alive, and on their mother’s directive, they decide to reap violent vengeance upon him.
American playwright Aleshea Harris' breakout hit comes to Australia thanks to this co-production from Sydney Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company. The play features an all-black cast, with co-directors Zindzi Okenyo and Shari Sebbens continuing their acclaimed streak of steering stories that strike a communal resonance, including their recent hit co-directorial debut, Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner. Henrietta Enyonam Amevor (STC's Hubris & Humiliation) stars as the timid Anaia, with Masego Pitso killing it as the assertive Racine. Cessalee Stovall plays their mother, referred to as the eponymous 'God', with an authority that resounds throughout the play as the driving intention behind the twins’ mission.
Is God Is is a captivating tale of retribution with exceptional performances that draw you in through a sinister premise.
The journey traverses the Deep South to the Californian desert to Connecticut, taking its stylistic inspiration from spaghetti westerns, hip-hop and afropunk. It strings together ideas of questionable morality, heroes, and villains with clear nods to African American culture. Biblical references underpin the dialogue across the play, with the twins comparing themselves to Cain and Abel at one point, giving rise to the idea that their parents may be manifestations of an even more sinful Adam and Eve.
Racine and Anaia’s mission is spawned from childhood abandonment and neglect; a dangerous motivation should any person act as an obstacle to their goal. When they witness the new middle-class lifestyle their father has created — equipped with a wife, almost-17-year-old twin sons and a white picket fence — Anaia and Racine are confronted with the class disparity of their own existence, yielding brutal results.
Their father’s new set of twin sons – Riley (Grant Young), a plant enthusiast, and Scotch (Darius Williams), an aspiring poet – are a happy-go-lucky pair in comparison to their half-siblings, a clear juxtaposition designed to play on the distinctions between good and evil. The dim-witted and unsuspecting pair have a hilarious repartee, creating tension before encountering Anaia and Racine. In a moment that draws a belly laugh from the audience, Scotch declares, “It’s an acrostic that doesn’t announce itself”, before going on to recite a poem that is clearly acrostic.
The set is minimalistic, with a single wooden house structure in the centre, used with incredible versatility. The doors are opened and the structure is shifted around to transform between 'God's' death bed to their father’s new homely abode. Anaia and Racine push against the corners of the house, turning it to indicate the start of a new scene, reiterating that the evolving notion of 'home' is what binds this chilling tale. The costumes feel contemporary, utilising pops of colour to contrast against the simple and bare set design.
The dialogue swings from haunting malice to laugh-out-loud, offbeat humour. It takes time to adjust to the southern drawl and vernacular, but the meaning becomes more apparent once you’re immersed in the plot. When their mother makes her request for the sisters to kill their father, Racine responds with a casual “We respect that you dying and all...”.
Is God Is is very good at gradually amplifying violence to build anticipation. Anaia and Racine develop their palate for murder across the narrative arc, culminating in the final climactic altercation. As the father, Kevin Copeland cuts a menacing, striking figure, instilling fear with a cattleman-style drawl as he snaps his belt threateningly. Occasionally, the fight scene choreography from Anaia and Racine is a little too tentative, with some punches not landing. However, conviction will surely grow as the run continues. The meek will inherit the earth.
Is God Is is a captivating tale of retribution with exceptional performances that draw you in through a sinister premise. Moreover, the nuanced characters are so flawed that they are beyond religious deliverance.
This production was reviewed in Melbourne in June 2023.
Note: This production contains smoke/haze effects, coarse language, mature themes, sexual references, references to domestic and sexual violence and depictions of graphic violence, suicide and drug use.
Is God Is plays at Sydney Theatre Co's Wharf 1 Theatre, Walsh Bay, from September 15 to October 21. Tickets are $54-$104 and you can snap up yours over here.