Nina Metz

A sense of unease permeates "Breath, Boom," and that's not necessarily a bad thing. The story of a young female African-American gang leader named Prix (Rain Denise Wilson, both regal and tomboyish) unfurls in staggered bursts that don't always make sense, but definitely make an impact. Playwright Kia Corthron's style is both in-your-face and oddly poetic. When it's revealed that Prix was molested as a child, she berates her mother's ignorance about the abuse by telling her, "If you weren't playin' the Helen Keller bitch, you would have known a long time ago." It's a perfectly rendered line that sums up the entire situation in just a few words. Originally commissioned and produced in 2000 by the Royal Court Theatre in London, the play could use a streamlined plot, but it is otherwise an unsettling, affecting work. The Pegasus Players production, under the direction of Ilesa Duncan, is like a less soaped-up version of "Oz," the HBO prison drama known for its unrelenting violence and an overall sense of despair. Duncan has assembled a cast of nine impressively versatile and talented young women (Carolina Jimenez is a standout) who shape their characters well beyond stereotype. The set design by Jacqueline and Richard Penrod evokes everything from a prison yard to a dilapidated apartment thanks to a series of movable chain-link panels.

"Breath, Boom" is playing at Pegasus Players, O'Rourke Center for the Arts, 1145 West Wilson, (773)878-9761, through April 13.

(2003-03-12)

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