Reginald T. Jackson takes the audience on a journey into and allows the audience a peak into Hell in his very well written, well-acted and well-directed work Crabs in a Barrel. And who knew that Hell is being stuck in a living room with an angry lesbian, Asha John as Lillian, who thinks only of getting her desires fulfilled.

Jackson’s play begins when we meet Lillian (John) in a sparsely decorated living room that has only one door and curtain. Soon she is joined by Maurice (Brian Patterson) who refuses to believe he is dead or that he belongs in hell. The first scenes are of Lillian convincing Maurice that he is dead, in hell and that there is no escape (the window curtains cover a brick wall, and the door cannot be opened). The disagreeable couple are then joined by the vulnerable and lost Mary (Atiana Skokan). Like Maurice, Mary also has trouble believing she is dead or that she belongs in hell.

But Lillian has been in hell long enough that she seems to have established a special relationship with the devil that gives her insight into the crimes of her Hell mates. She exposes their crimes and shows that they are in the right place. She reminds them that they will behave like “Crabs in a Barrel”. Although they have the means to escape, they will pull each other back into the barrel as they prepare to leave making their fate permanent.

Then Jackson introduces a lust triangle, where both Maurice and Lillian want Mary to satisfy their sexual desires and reduce their loneliness in the battle, Lillian’s rough approach causes Mary to reject her, and she responds to Maurice’s more sensitive seduction. Lillian, unwilling to witness her failure, hides behind the curtain as Mary and Maurice copulate. Finally, Maurice believes that they are each in Hell not because of their crimes, but because they have never been able to form a connection with another human being.

Maurice invites Lillian to join him and Mary in a relationship where they show concern for each other. Lillian’s pride and anger make her reject the offer. But Mary and Maurice are able to leave the room as they establish a relationship that was impossible for them while they were alive.

There may be some question about the hostility that Jackson imbues his lesbian character with. She rejects every opportunity to share or improve her situation. She views losing to Maurice with unmitigated anger. As in life, nothing can assuage her But, as the antagonist, this show belongs to Asha John’s Lillian.

This the best directing that I have seen Kubbi do. She keeps the actors fresh and moving and continuously forces the audience to shift focus. If you don’t pay attention to the whole stage, you will miss important actions by one or more characters. The set is extensive for a festival, but it all works and Jackson’s play about his vision of Hell survives the Evangelical optimism that he allows Maurice and Mary to discover.