The defect of the slice-of-life play is that it is never a loaf. The defect of the realistic play is that it trusts the naked eye and ignores the mind's eye. In its endless scanning of surfaces and appearances, slice-of-life realism scants the substance of truth and reality. It is a pity that Ceremonies in Dark Old Men, by Lonne Elder III, occupies the worst of these two decidedly dated dramatic worlds.
The play also confirms a kind of habit of Manhattan's Negro Ensemble Company: that of doing spindly works with skill, verve, and beautifully meshed precision. Ceremonies is a play about...
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