Eisa Davis’ theatrical piece “The Essentialisn’t” isn’t exactly a play, although it’s scripted. It’s not a musical either, despite containing a number of original songs.

It verges on performance art at times, but that’s only one element of the provocative and entertaining production now running at the HERE Arts Center in Soho. Performing on a minimal set that switches back and forth from blank walls to projected video imagery, Davis is accompanied by Princess Jacob and Jamella Cross, whose beautiful voices perfectly blend with her lead.

After gathering in the lobby, which is the site of an art installation for the show, the audience is let in to find their seats while Davis sits center stage above a tank of water, singing softly. Her imminent immersion is a multiple metaphor that partly

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