‘This is How it Goes’ comments on racism, relationships
While the actual production of the show met the clever, well-executed standards The Firehouse Theatre has built its reputation on, the play that was chosen was not its best. Yes, “This is How it Goes” comments on racism and its commonplace in society but it lacks prudence.
Perception: It is a tool we all struggle to hone. Ideally, it should be used solely for survival purposes; a way to judge another’s possible danger or stability. But the world doesn’t operate on ideals; it rotates on realities. The hard truth is that often our perceptions mar our clarity and foster hindering judgments. Imagine for a moment a community unaffected by racism, sexism and bigotry. Surely, the people who lived in that populace would have fuller, more productive lives, untouched by the stupidity of discrimination.
It is a society that the characters in Neil LaBute’s “This is How it Goes” would have undoubtedly benefited from. Unfortunately, their deep-held biases left them angry, cheated and thoroughly deplorable. There were no protagonists or happy-endings for LaBute’s three-character play-just dismal finishes. If anything can be learned from their failures, it is that people aren’t one-dimensional. A person is not his/her race, religion, weight or sexuality.
Take for example the joke-cracking, constantly imaginative narrator. He seemed, for the majority of the production, like an all-around good guy. He defended his beloved Belinda when she found herself under the tyranny of her abusive husband Cody. He endured the ignorance and abuse of Cody’s tongue-lashings without complaint. He even condescended to do yard work in exchange for lodging above the unhappy couple’s garage. But in an unexpected twist, he reveals himself as a lying “sometimes” racist who’s spent the entirety of the play in cahoots with the perpetually nasty Cody.
While the actual production of the show met the clever, well-executed standards The Firehouse Theatre has built its reputation on, the play that was chosen was not its best. Yes, “This is How it Goes” comments on racism and its commonplace in society but it lacks prudence. Neither the playwright, nor the production offered any wisdom or guidance. So while LaBute’s script won’t revolutionize your opinions on racism, relationships or marriage, perhaps at best it will get you thinking about the issues.
