Written by a.k. payne and directed by Tinashe Kajese-Bolden, the dual performances of Kacie Rogers and DeWanda Wise in the West Coast Premiere are inspiring.
By John Lavitt
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 05-01-2025
Playing until May 18th at the Geffen Playhouse, Furlough’s Paradise continues a remarkable season at the theatre with a two-person drama that overflows with talent and determination. Although cousins Sade (DeWanda Wise) and Mina (Kacie Rogers) used to be inseparable as kids, life’s hard choices and subsequent consequences have placed a massive divide between them. Beyond the emotional divides faced by most families, the divide between the two women goes well beyond feelings and thoughts. While Mina lives a fancy modern life on the West Coast, Sade is incarcerated in a high-security women’s prison an hour from their childhood home. What happens at the Geffen Playhouse is worth watching when they come together.
On a furlough from prison to return home for her mother’s funeral, the play takes place in Mina’s extra apartment in their hometown. Spending the weekend together, the two women exorcise the demons of the past while confronting the realities of a looming future. With support from Cast Iron Entertainment, the production opens the door for the theatre to embrace the Theatre as a Lens for Justice initiative. Since the drama focuses on the effects of incarceration on families and loved ones, the initiative expands the drama’s impact. Indeed, it provides access to this production and supplementary programs for populations impacted by incarceration.
Given the power of the script, it is not surprising that playwright a.k. payne is winning awards. On March 10, playwright a.k. payne won the 2025 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for Furlough’s Paradise. Honoring women+ playwrights since 1978, the prestigious international award reflects the powerful impact of the play and the performances of the lead. Indeed, it is too rare for women to have such significant roles to celebrate. Taking on their roles with passion and talent, the two leads ignite the stage from start to finish.
As directed with precision by Tinashe Kajese-Bolden, the emotional roller coaster of the storytelling does not stop once the ride begins. Indeed, it takes a moment for the audience to catch their breath as they experience the emotional turmoil of the two women. Radiant and engrossing, the two performances are the heart and soul of the production.
While DeWanda Wise captures the hardness of an inmate slowly softening on furlough, Kacie Rogers shows how returning home often leads to barriers rising. When people return home from their “successful life,” they frequently feel like the covers have been pulled, revealing their naked truths. However, Sade does not care about the difficulties of living in sunshine in Southern California or the challenge of commuting to San Francisco. Mina’s struggles feel like drops in the bucket compared to a life behind bars.
One of the finest moments throughout the production is how the director and playwright take us out of the narrative to show the impact of trauma on the women’s bodies through dance and contortion. In sudden moments signified by lighting changes and sound design, the actors open the door to profound empathy. Such moments prove to be chilling and revelatory. By providing access to a visceral expression of the character’s inner turmoil, the play allows the audience to co-journey with the performers on a passionate ride that dreams of redemption.
Photos by Jeff Lorch and Jordan Strauss (Courtesy of the Geffen Playhouse)
