Theater Review: 'Sanctuary City' at TheaterWorks Hartford

By Nancy Sasso Janis

TheaterWorks Hartford is presenting “Sanctuary City,” a play by Polish-American playwright Martyna Majok, who studied at Yale School of Drama and Juilliard. She was raised in Jersey and Chicago, and she was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play, “Cost of Living.”

The TheaterWorks production is directed by Jacob G. Padron, the Artistic Director of the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, and Pedro Bermudez, who teaches courses in video production at Wesleyan University.

“Sanctuary City” is a memory play that follows the tragic events of 9/11. It was developed in part at the 2018 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab, and had its world premiere at New York Theatre Workshop in 2020. The play takes place in Newark, New Jersey “and thereabouts” during the years 2001-2006. The story feels even more present day, probably because the topic is still relevant.

The script tells the story of two undocumented immigrant teenagers challenged by their family life. As the directors write, the two “find sanctuary with each other through their friendship. In their youthful exuberance, they grab hold of possibility and ground themselves in a sense of hopefulness for a brighter future.” In a plot twist, the young woman's circumstances change, and as a result, the young man’s “journey comes to a halt, and we are left with more questions than answers.”

The co-directors felt an immediate connection to this well-constructed story. The pair “set off to explore, uncover, and bring a vision to the production that would allow theatre to do what it does best: bring different people together and help us find our shared humanity.” Along with the cast, the team landed on a “shared and important guiding question: will a young man (B) ever be able to stop hiding and fully start his life?” TheaterWorks succeeds in evoking “an immersive and cinematic experience,” that never becomes physically uncomfortable for the audience members, although it may evoke some emotions.

Not coincidentally, the production is dedicated to all the dreamers out there, “who are making the path brighter with their courage, their love, and their optimism for a better tomorrow.”

The Equity cast members effectively bring to life the three characters in the play. Sara Guitierrez, from San Antonio, Texas, gives glorious life to the girl “G” in her TheaterWorks debut. Grant Kennedy Lewis digs deeply into the character of “B” in his TheaterWorks debut. Both the girl and the boy begin the journey as teens in high school and then as young adults three years later.

Mishka Yarovoy enters only for the final linear scenes in the role of Henry. The actor brings life experience to this play, as he was born in Mexico to a family of Russian musicians and spent most of his life living between Mexico, Russia, and the United States before settling permanently in the U.S. at the age of 14.

The set design of Emmie Finckel (“The Hot Wing King” at Hartford Stage) features three layers of screens that open in the middle and a large screen behind to support a large graphic of the walls that were covered with posters of missing Twin Tower victims.

Costumes by Sarita Fellows denote the ages of the young characters and their growth three years later. Lighting design by Paul Whitaker nicely accents the disjointed bits of dialogue between the teenaged pair presented as flashbacks. Sound design by Fabian Obispo does the same.

Projection and video design by Bermudez paints the background to all of the scenes, adding bits of reality to the references to 9/11. Juhee Kim served as assistant set designer.

“Sanctuary City” continues on the TheaterWorks stage through April 25. Tickets at twhartford.org.

Nancy Sasso Janis is a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle (ctcritics.org).