By Kimberly Dixon,Rob Silverman Ascher

Copyright chicagoreader

At the center of Rabbits in Their Pockets, the new play by Kimberly Dixon-Mays now at Lifeline Theatre under Christopher Wayland’s direction, are two sisters, their beliefs in different technologies, and how those technologies help them thrive. After their parents’ death, semi-estranged siblings Ash and Harley reunite to sell their childhood home. Ash (LaKecia Harris) is a rocket scientist, while her sister, Harley (Simmery Branch), has committed herself to improvisation, which she calls “a Black technology” in all its forms, and is developing a culturally informed improv center. When Ash accepts Harley’s invitation to help her fix up the house, she uses the remodel as an opportunity to test out a system she has invented that collects and redistributes Black joy.

Rabbits in Their PocketsThrough 10/5: Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 2:30 and 7:30 PM, Sun 2:30 PM; Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood, 773-761-4477, lifelinetheatre.com, $45

Dixon-Mays’s comedy, developed through Lifeline’s BIPOC Developmental Workshop, extends Lifeline’s focus on literary adaptation, using Black folktales such as Br’er Rabbit as a jumping-off point. Emily McConnell’s observant costume design distills Dixon-Mays’s study of contrasts, and Shokie Tseumah’s carefully considered set is full of surprises, coming alive in an excellent coup de theatre. Felisha McNeal as Inola, a mysterious woman who takes an interest in Harley, and Marcus D. Moore as Jasper, a childhood friend of the sisters, support Branch and Harris’s warm and witty performances. As they look for a way out of grief, the sisters come together, using their respective approaches to center Black joy. Rabbits in Their Pockets, both heartfelt and extremely smart, celebrates how the sisters learn how to heal from each other, creating something new and lasting in the process.