The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Daughter of Mrs. Huxtable herself, Condola Rashad stars in the Off-Broadway play Ruined which just opened and has already received an extension through April, with hints of a Broadway upgrade. The young Rashad takes on the difficult character of Sophie, a Congolese woman raped with a bayonet, leaving her genitals mutilated, and left for dead. The play is getting rave reviews from critics, and comparisons to her mother’s recent Broadway takeover (Raisin in the Sun) are abound.
Condola Phyleia Rashad, left, in "Ruined."
Theater that takes on tragic topics such as war leave viewers cold and disinterested in our entertain us! society but Rashad’s performance makes up for it, grounding the horrors in a survivor with a soul too large to silence.
Ben Brantley of the New York Times says: “Portrayed with a masterly blend of delicacy and resourcefulness by Ms. Rashad, Sophie is something more than a passive, beautiful victim.”
Keep your eye on this young beauty.
Condola Phyleia Rashad, left, in "Ruined."
