Goodman's 'Ruined' passionate, powerful but ultimately falls short

Were men subject to the atrocities inflicted upon women in places like Sierra Leone, Bosnia, Rwanda, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the use of rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war would end tomorrow. But they're not. So the brutality continues, leaving in its wake victims reportedly as young as 3 and as old as 75. Compounding their physical and emotional pain resulting from these widespread attacks by soldiers and members of armed militias is the ostracism from their families and communities, whose members blame the women for the crimes committed against them.

These women's stories - agonizing tales of torture, slavery and humiliation - comprise "Ruined," Lynn Nottage's gripping, heart-wrenching and nearly brilliant play about women whose bodies have become secondary battle grounds for the civil wars and foreign incursions that have devastated the Congo over the last 14 years.

Commissioned by Goodman Theatre, the play grew out of interviews Nottage, her husband filmmaker Tony Gerber and director Kate Whoriskey conducted with victims during a trip to West Africa four years ago. First seen last year as part of Goodman's New Stages Series, it had its world premiere this week. Directed by Whoriskey, this co-production with the Manhattan Theatre Club (which remounts the play in January) is a bracing, powerfully acted piece of theater.

Evoking Bertolt Brecht's "Mother Courage" in its depiction of the brutality of war and the price of survival, "Ruined" stands entirely on its own in its unflinching examination of power, terror and revenge.

Set in a mining town in a Congolese rain forest, the action unfolds in a combination brothel/cantina, whose cheery décor by set designer Derek McLane coupled with Dominic Kanza's deceptively breezy afro-pop score serves as a bitter counterpoint to the savagery just beyond (and inside) its walls.

Its owner is apolitical opportunist and ultimate survivor Mama Nadi (Saidah Arrika Ekulona, a commanding, complex performance despite a few dialogue lapses). Predatory and protective, she is a woman without illusions living by a distinct and fluid moral code whose contradictions Ekulona vividly expresses.

"I make the rules in my house," she says defiantly.

"If things are good, everyone gets a little. If things are bad, Mama eats first."

Mama caters to both government soldiers and guerrilla rebels - indistinguishable even with a score card - and equally ruthless. Predictably, their presence creates a tension among Mama's girls - rape and torture victims she has taken in and turned out, whose injuries and humiliation make them unfit for any other work. There's the hard-edge veteran Josephine (a gritty performance by Cherise Boothe whose character releases her pain and rage through dance), the daughter of a chief raped before her entire village. There's Salima (a captivating Quincy Tyler Bernstine whose wrenching description of her rape and abduction pierces the soul), the farmer's wife who is kidnapped and forced into sexual slavery. Finally, there's college-bound Sophie (enchanting, doe-eyed newcomer Condola Phyleia Rashad) "ruined" by extreme physical abuse.

She is not the only one. Everyone has been damaged: the women; Mama's black-market connection Christian (the terrific Russell G. Jones), a decent man who despairs at his country's downward slide; Salima's desperate husband Fortune (Chiké Johnson); the farm boys turned thugs. The country itself has been ruined: the land stripped of its minerals, its communities decimated and its government powerless to right the wrongs.

There is an underlying sense of dread to the play, which Nottage sustains brilliantly and credibly, that suggests that for all her efforts, the enclave that Mama has established cannot last. One day it will fall, the question is who falls with it. It's a passionate, vividly written play that deftly balances drama with an obvious intent to raise awareness of a tragedy that has affected hundreds of thousands of women worldwide.

As powerful as it is, the play could use some paring. The narrative often telegraphs where it's going and the ending feels less than legitimate. Without going into too much detail, I would say simply that it concludes on a note that rings false. I understand why Nottage sends us out of the theater hopeful. But I wonder how much more "Ruined" would have resonated had she sent us from the theater outraged and determined that never again will men fight their battles on women's bodies.

"Ruined"

Rating: 3 stars

Location: Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago

Times: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 7, also 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30. No show Thursday, Nov. 27

Running time: Approximately two hours, 40 minutes, with intermission

Tickets: $15-$39

Parking: Paid lots nearby

Box office: (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org

Rating: Adult subject matter, not for young or sensitive audiences, contains language, violence and descriptions of rape

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Video</h2> <ul class="video"> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=1&type=video&item=217">Clip from 'Ruined' </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>