Given that Cassandra Medley's first name recalls the grim Greek clairvoyant, it's less than surprising that many dire and intertwined predictions occur in
Noon Day Sun, which premiered at Montclair's Theatrefest Theatre in 2000 and is now making its NYC bowing at the Beckett Theater. And while this 1950s-set cautionary tale about the pitfalls of pretending not to be what you are is full of too many coincidences and overheard or witnessed if unheard conversations, it is nevertheless a well-acted, stark drama.


Here, two characters can't resist denying their roots, with one doing so against strong religious urges. The most prominent is Zena (Gin Hammond), a light-skinned black woman who s[...]