Eric Grode review’s Sylvan Oswald’s “Nightlands” in the article Astrologist Meets Wig Seller in Simmering ’60s. He begins by describing the setting of the play, Oswald’s hometown of Philadelphia during the 1960s, which was a time of racial tension and uneasiness. Grode mentions that one problem that the play has is that it tries to jam too many stories and styles into the production. He then goes on to give the reader a small background of the production. The play is about two main characters who develop an interesting an unusual relationship. Netta Klein, a Jewish wig saleswomen, seeks “respite from her stultifying marriage,” by heading to a predominantly black section of the city for astrology lessons from Ivy Silver, the black host of an astrology show on the radio. The play portrays the development of their relationship during a time in which these relationships were frowned upon.
One thing about the play that really intrigues me is the development of a relationship between people on the opposite sides of the spectrum. Sometimes even when certain things may be right it is hard to pursue them when others view it as unorthodox. However, these two characters do not succumb to that “pressure” and develop a friendship that doesn’t follow the norm of society.