The HARM is a powerful and important play. The exploration of what is and is not acceptable in a 21st century classroom and whether it is perception, projection or reality that should be the determining factor in the validity of any intellectual exercise is an extremely important topic, if places of learning are actually going to embrace learning.

Kangalee starts The HARM with Vic (Rommel Sermons) lecturing a class on the power of and use of language to score political and intellectual points. He shows how the same words can be twisted to mean something totally different in another person’s hands. He is quite impassioned in his argument and becomes no less so when Adrienne (Erin Hyatt), a student objects. The argument continues and becomes more verbally heated even as class is over and the rest of the students have left the room. Adrienne argues that Vic’s fact that many of the Jews that started the Hollywood Studios were criminals is antisemitic while Vic rightly points out that he is talking about specific individuals and not an ethnic group. He also notes that their Judaism did not influence their business decisions as many of their movies conformed to Klan standards to not face protests and boycotts at the box office.

After the argument Adrienne decides to escalate the battle to the Dean’s Office. Stating that she felt endangered by Vic and accusing him of attempted sexual assault. Neither of those things occurred, but she uses stereotypes to reinforce her position to the college Administration (Molly – Melissa Roth) and trigger a disciplinary hearing.

Vic, on the other hand, also has his problems. He got his adjunct position by lying on a resume. He claimed to have a degree he lacked and was ineligible for the position. It is further complicated because Vic and the head of the department, Tasha (Joy Foster), are lovers who are living together.

Tasha convinces Vic that he needs a legal defense. He sees Angelo (Dennis Leroy Kangalee), a Mexican American Jewish lawyer and civil rights firebrand to take his case. Angelo reminds Vic that more important than the facts is that Vic play the “good Negro”. It is a point glossed over, but central to Kangalee’s narrative. It doesn’t matter that Adrienne is lying about being assaulted. It doesn’t matter that she isn’t Jewish. What does matter is that she uses the trigger words that she identifies as Jewish and felt harmed by Vic and that his existence made him dangerous. It also doesn’t matter that Vic doesn’t have a degree. Molly must satisfy a student call for blood and must not seem to be punishing Vic because he is black. Vic is offered his job, if he supplicates and apologizes.

After that point, Kangalee has a scene where Adrienne is confronted by Joy where she admits that she made everything up. She was projecting previous abuse, probably sexual, and maybe by her father, onto Vic because he was a “safe” target. This should be the final scene. Unfortunately, Kangalee adds two more scenes which only state the obvious in a foolish attempt to wrap the story up. Those two final scenes need to be cut. The ambiguous ending is required in this play.

The acting in this play is incredibly good. Sermon has totally embraced his role and given what may be his most powerful performance. Hyatt works Adrienne’s manipulations as a pro narcissist would. Foster has the most complex role as she moves from administration lackey to supporter of her lover, to supporter of academic freedom. Kangalee plays the type of hero that was admired coming out of the civil rights movement and, although not a complex role, Roth is the perfect corporate drone who protects the college before she protects or is interested in truth.

The HARM, if the last two scenes are removed, is blessed with fine writing, great acting and an important topic, but Kangalee made a mistake by directing the show while acting in it. The direction can be best described as poor. Scene changes were unnecessarily cumbersome, despite a stagehand moving as efficiently as humanly possible. The show screamed for a set of eyes that could see what was happening on the stage and move the story forward without unnecessary delays.

The HARM with some small changes deserves extended off-Broadway and Regional runs. It certainly is one of the best plays in this year’s Midtown International Theater Festival.