Suspense, Drama and Social Awareness took center stage at Leslie Pryor’s, latest theatrical production – entitled “Deception.” The entertaining, yet thought provoking, stage play captivated its sold out audience at Louisville’s Old Male Auditorium on Saturday February 2nd.
Stage plays by Leslie Pryor Productions typically center around social, entertainment and faith based cultures that exemplify the black experience in America today. Uniquely, the scripts are often written in a manner in which the plot addresses a serious social issue, while simultaneously leading the audience to an unexpected plot twist. Staying true to form – Deception followed that format verbatim.
For this outing, Pryor decides to tackle the conversation of HIV/AIDS awareness. The first act of Deception opens with a loving married couple who are having their faith tested.
Tyson and Victoria Jackson (played by Everett Ezell and LiAndrea Goatley) have been married for over a decade and have a teenage daughter together. Ms. Jackson was a virgin when she met her husband and has only been sexually intimate with him throughout the course of her life. However, Mr. Jackson has an extensive sexual background, prior to being married.
While participating in a HIV/AIDS awareness campaign at her church – Ms. Jackson decides to motivate others by getting tested – but never expects the results that she would soon receive.
Within a few weeks, a letter from the local Health Department arrives – informing the loving wife that her preliminary HIV/AIDS test is positive – and she needs to visit their office immediately, to undergo further testing.
Understandably, she is devastated. Believing that she has been infected by her husband – her emotions begin to roller-coaster from rage – to sadness – to disbelief. She eventually confronts her husband, who immediately denies having HIV/AIDS – but refuses to get tested. He considers her accusation and doubt of his faithfulness, to be an insult.
As their marriage is being tested – friends and relatives rally around the couple with support and advice. The next several scenes use humorous moments to address common fears and misinformation associated with HIV/AIDS.
Pryor brilliantly uses her characters, throughout the play, to educate the audience about the facts surrounding HIV/AIDS, as well as advocating the need to constantly “KNOW YOUR STATUS.
The message of “Practicing Safe Sex” and the importance of “Frequent Testing” is further conveyed through heart-warming faith-based ballads and hilarious dialogue between characters. Pryor does an excellent job at balancing education and entertainment.
As Deception begins to come to a close, Mr. Jackson finally decides to get tested. To everyone’s surprise – his test results are negative and it now appears that his wife may be hiding a few secrets. This is where the play takes one of Pryor’s classic plot twists.
After several suspenseful scenes, it is revealed that a long-time female admirer of Mr. Jackson – and member of his wife’s church – mailed a fake “positive result” letter to the couple, in hopes that it would result in their divorce. The audience gasps – as they never expected this to be the outcome.
As her “DECEPTION” is foiled – the admirer/stalker is immediately arrested and the Jackson’s begin repairing their marriage. Deception closes out its final scenes with more information about HIV/AIDS and further emphasizes the importance of practicing safe sex and frequent testing.
Two separate shows of Deception took place on Saturday Feb 2nd and Sunday Feb 3rd at the Old Male Auditorium.
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Photo Credits in this article: Rodney Pitts Photography and Krystal Rice.
Brad Harrison is a journalist/motivational speaker/entrepreneur and on-air personality. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications with cum laude honors from the University of Louisville. In October 2015, he started UrbanMaxx Magazine to provide positive role models for Urban residents that reside in at-risk-communities and lack positive leadership in their lives.
For booking or advertising – contact Brad Harrison at bradharrison@urbanmaxx.com