In its 20+ years of existence, The Empty Space has always been willing to take risks, to put on plays that weren’t guaranteed to sell. Plays that challenged audiences in various ways. And, admirably, that brought the stories of marginalized groups to the stage.
In this case, Topdog/Underdog is a Pulitzer-winning play by African American playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, who has written for both the screen and the stage. It explores both family dynamics and the challenges faced by African American men in America.
I wouldn’t say I exactly enjoyed this play. It is pretty traumatic, and doesn’t end happily. It also can be triggering for everything from domestic violence to child abuse to firearm violence. So be warned. Also, a lot of x-rated dialogue, if that is a problem for you.
That said, it is a compelling play, and the production at The Empty Space was excellent. Even as everything goes to absolute shit by the end of the play, you can’t look away, and you genuinely care about the characters, as flawed and difficult as they are.
This is a two-man play, with brothers Lincoln and Booth sharing a crappy apartment in the city somewhere, and trying to get by in a world that isn’t exactly eager to give young black men good jobs.
Abandoned by their parents as children, and left with $500 each as an “inheritance,” the two have a close but fraught relationship.
Lincoln formerly hustled a Three Card Monte con, but after his buddy was shot, has gone straight and is impersonating Abraham Lincoln in whiteface at a carnival. Booth is unemployed, but has the apartment, and assists by “boosting” merchandise.
Oh, and don’t worry, this is definitely a “Chekhov’s Gun” play, and the names are a portent.
The plot itself isn’t the most important element in this one. Rather, the relationship between the brothers, with jealousy, resentment, family trauma, and poverty making for incredible tension and difficult is the center of the play.
One could see this as a retelling of a combination of Cain and Abel with Jacob and Esau, although with the birth order reversed. It feels kind of Biblical in its own way.
Because of the small cast, the chemistry between the actors is crucial, and I can say that in this case, Ty Halton as Lincoln, and Nasiyr Johnson as Booth played off each other superbly. Both truly inhabited their characters, and the sibling rivalry felt very real.
Halton has been a regular on stage for years, in a variety of roles and genres, and on literally every stage in this town. He has been reliably excellent, and brings a distinct personality to every role.
I’m not sure I have seen Johnson in a big role before, but he matched Halton’s jaded elder brother with a certain manic energy and seething resentment. It was a compelling performance.
The set for this play was a good part of the attraction. The bathroom in particular was a work of art, with all the stains and grime and even a magnet-powered cockroach. It didn’t help that for the first act, the place looked like the caricature of a bachelor pad, with dirty clothes and porno mags everywhere, pinups on the walls, and a general lack of cleaning.
I’ll also note my pleasure at the perfect coordination of the light operator (Michael Hendrix, who also directed) with the actors on the various light switches on stage. Little details like that make me smile. We saw opening night, and the only possible technical issue I saw was a doorjam that came loose when slammed. Which might have been intentional, come to think of it. It worked.
Topdog/Underdog has had its share of big-name headliners on and off of Broadway since it was written a couple decades ago. I think our local guys have every reason to be proud of the work they did in this production.
This play had a limited run of three performances, which I get, since it didn’t sell out the night we were there. It isn’t the sort of play you see to escape reality or leave feeling good. But it is compelling, and I’m glad we saw it.
This show has already run its course, but The Empty Space has a bunch of other stuff coming up that I hope to see. Check out their season, and give our local theaters some love.
No comments:
Post a Comment