New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

REVIEW: "Pipeline" at Mile Square Theatre


By Adam F. Cohen

originally published: 09/13/2019


Parenting is a puzzle.  The intention is do well by your child by all means.  And those intentions start with a firm foundation of communication. Dominique Morisseau's play Pipeline explores the repercussions of parenting, race, education, marriage, and communication.  The play – running at Hoboken’s Mile Square Theatre– is a gripping drama.

The play’s title refers to the “school-to-prison pipeline” that all too easily traps the underprivileged, especially people of color, and funnels them directly into penal institutions. But these characters are poised, faulty and intelligent enough to prove the odds wrong.  It’s the rest of the world that proves challenging.

Morisseau’s play is enlivened by fertile, intelligent performances by a strong cast and tense direction by Kevin R. Free.  It’s grounded by prophetic references to Gwendolyn Brooks’ poetry and the novel Native Son by Richard Wright.  Pipeline is a drama about people—strong, troubled, complex, sometimes heartbreaking people—who find themselves in nerve-jangling situations. Yes, the school background is vital here, but it’s the human beings who rivet us to our seats for 95 absorbing, suspenseful minutes—no intermission.

Omari (Jarvis Tomdio) is a young African American high school student.  He’s articulate, smart and scared. But he’s a teenager filled with quiet rage at the world and his parents.  Unfortunately, his physical outburst on a teacher could mean ouster from his private school – especially as the incident has been preserved on other student’s phones.  Tomdio offers a graceful, gripping performance – like a caged animal, stalking the territory, ready to strike.

He’s got the support of a loving girlfriend Jasmine (Jessica Darrow) and that of his public school English teacher mother Nya (Malikha Mallette).  Mallette and Tomdio deliver moving performances that emphasizes the tensions, awkwardness and pure intentions between mother and child.  Darrow is fierce and wise beyond her years as Jasmine delivering truths in zippy statements like “Sometimes people push you too far, make you feel like an animal from another jungle.” 




Follow New Jersey Stage on social media
Facebook, Threads, Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky



Nya is supported by her fellow teacher Laurie (Annie McAdams) who’s perilously close to violence and a breakdown of her own. McAdams provides a fiercely funny, passionate performance.  As does Chadwick Antonio Rawlings as Dun – the school security guard who carries a torch for Nya. 

The play is a chess game, and a fascinating one at that.  It ends on a hopeful note.  But given the issues and possibilities presented hope is a weak strategy.  Ultimately though being young, tenacious and in love doesn’t quite quell the fear and anger in these characters.  And this is where “Pipeline” elevates and feels most real.  The language of these characters shifts effortlessly between the world’s they occupy – private school and private life, check book parenting and daily life, wisdom and rage, love and youth, intention and mistakes.  The actors deliver smashing performances gripping the shadows and fine lines of their worlds and relationships.

As ever, the Mile Square Theater production is aided by strong technical elements.  Joey Moro’s projection design serves the classroom blackboard and cell-phone recollections of violence.  Jason Flamos’ lighting shifts from institutional flourscents to warm realism.  And Matthew J. Fick’s realistic set captures the steadily chipped cinder block reality of many urban public schools.

Omari compares Jasmine to “Metamorphic rocks. They change in form. Made from heat and pressure. That’s what makes ‘em so rare and interesting. “  An apt description of all the characters in “Pipeline” – and of the play itself.

Pipeline is running now through October 6 at Mile Square Theatre, 1408 Clinton Street, Hoboken, NJ . Tickets and more information at milesquaretheatre.org

PHOTOS BY DAVID WHITE STUDIO




Follow New Jersey Stage on social media
Facebook, Threads, Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky





FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


The

The MAC players at the Middletown Arts Center present "Hairspray"

Friday, July 18, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJ 07748
category: theatre

Click here for full event listing

 

The

The Mallard

Friday, July 18, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Premiere Stages - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083
category: theatre

Click here for full event listing

 

Good

Good Riddance; A Gnarly Murder Mystery Dinner, Dude!

Friday, July 18, 2025 @ 6:00pm
Carteret Performing Arts Center
46 Washington Ave, Carteret, NJ 07008
category: theatre

Click here for full event listing

 

The

The Wizard of Oz

Friday, July 18, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Algonquin Arts Theatre
60 Abe Voorhees, Manasquan, NJ 08736
category: theatre

Click here for full event listing

 

The

The MAC players at the Middletown Arts Center present "Hairspray"

Saturday, July 19, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJ 07748
category: theatre

Click here for full event listing

 

More events

Event Listings are available for $10 and included with our banner ad packages




 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Paper

Paper Mill Playhouse Announces Cast and Creative Team for "Bull Durham"

(MILLBURN, NJ) -- Paper Mill Playhouse has announced the casting and the creative team for Bull Durham, the first production of their 2025-2026 season. The new musical begins performances Thursday, October 2 ahead of a Sunday, October 12 in a run that continues through Sunday, November 2, 2025.



Jersey

Jersey Arts Podcast: Celebrating 20 Seasons of Premiere Stages with Original Play 'The Mallard'

Today we are highlighting Premiere Stages' twentieth season as they introduce their most recent production, "The Mallard," written by Vincent Delaney and directed by John Wooten.



Jersey

Jersey Arts TV: Princeton Summer Theater is Creating a New Take on a Classic Story with 'Frankenstein'

Classic literature is taking the stage with Princeton Summer Theater's production of "Frankenstein". This fresh take on the beloved classic takes the viewers on a journey to the past.



Surflight's

Surflight's Children's Theater presents "The SpongeBob Musical: Youth Edition"

(BEACH HAVEN, NJ) -- Surflight children's theater has been eagerly waiting to take you down to the Bikini Bottom in The SpongeBob Musical: Youth Edition. Performances take place July 23-27 & August 13-17, 2025 at 6:00pm each night.



NJ

NJ Rep Presents the World Premiere of "How My Grandparents Fell In Love"

(LONG BRANCH, NJ) -- New Jersey Repertory Company (NJ Rep) presents the world premiere of How My Grandparents Fell in Love, a heartwarming and timely new musical by playwright Cary Gitter and composer Neil Berg, directed by NJ Rep Artistic Director SuzAnne Barabas. The production runs from July 17 through August 10, 2025.