CurtainUp
The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features,
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CurtainUp The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features,
Annotated Listings |
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A CurtainUp Review
Native Son and Measure For Measure
The experiment is an admirable one, and at least partially successful. But the danger of this approach is that it can minimize the complexity of the works in question, and I'm afraid that happens here too. Ultimately, Wright and Shakespeare are larger than these interpretations give them credit for. When it first appeared in 1939, Richard Wright's novel Native Son was a revelation—an unflinching, brutally honest look at the impact of systematic racism and hatred on African-Americans. Both the novel and the 1941 Wright/Paul Green stage adaptation tell the story of Bigger Thomas (played beautifully here by Galen Ryan Kane), an African-American struggling to survive the actual and metaphorical poverty and cold of his native Chicago. In The Acting Company's version, adapted by Nambi E. Kelley and directed by Seret Scott, a whole host of details are cut out to focus completely on the inner life of Thomas, who at the beginning of the play accidentally kills a white heiress (Rebekah Brockman). Alternately guided and taunted by the Black Rat (Jason Bowen), a brooding, dark representation of what W.E.B. DuBois famously conceived of as the "double consciousness" created by the foundation of the unique African-American experience, Thomas becomes increasingly desperate, knowing he will never be able to convince a hostile white authority structure that the death was an accident and that he cannot escape or change his destiny. Written hundreds of years earlier under entirely different circumstances, Shakespeare's Measure for Measure (directed in this production by Janet Zarish) reflects a similar obsession with rigidity, severity, and the struggle between freedom and the law. Duke Vincentio (Keshav Moodliar), by his own admission too lenient and permissive, leaves Vienna in the hands of Angelo (Sam Lilja), a strict judge who is determined to make the most of his opportunity. To set an example, he condemns a young gentleman, Claudio (Lorenzo Jackson), for having gotten his beloved Juliet pregnant before they were technically married, and sentences him to death. But when Claudio's sister Isabella (Rebekah Brockman), a novice nun, attempts to plead for her brother's life, Angelo falls in love with her and promises to pardon her brother on one condition: sleep with him and break her vow of chastity. Both productions zoom in on what they view as the critical aspects of each play, and do it so completely that each play is cut to about ninety minutes running time. The virtue of this approach, of course, is focus: the brutality of the racism facing Bigger Thomas has significant echoes in the severity of Angelo's intended punishment for Claudio, and the resonances with modern social movements like Black Lives Matter and #MeToo are obvious. The acting and directing are excellent in both productions, with particular standout performances from Kane as Thomas, Bowen as the Black Rat, Lilja as Angelo, and Brockman as Isabella. In fact, the quality of the performances contributes to a larger problem—because it's hard not to feel like there are multiple missed opportunities which neither Scott nor Zarish take advantage of. Measure for Measure, after all, is about many things besides misogyny. Religious dogma overriding common sense, love vs. law, and deep-seated hypocrisy are all just as much part of the play's thematic fabric, and stripping all of them out to go after the production's one theme flattens Shakespeare's work considerably. And while Scot's take on Native Son is certainly clear-eyed and direct, the prevailing reaction I heard being expressed while leaving the theater was relief, not thoughtful consideration of the circumstances leading to Thomas's actions. Given the limited window, there isn't even time to consider other aspects of the work: athe anti-Communist fervor woven into the play's characters, the incredible economic injustice on display throughout the story, the limitations of family structures, or anything else about the obviously central African-American circumstances. In both works, everything boils down to one continually repeated idea, and the effect is unnecessarily reductive. I don't mean to overstate the problems. Both plays are solid, well-directed and acted productions, and I like the idea of juxtaposing them as The Acting Company has. But if it's important not to lose the forest for the trees, it's also important to avoid cutting down most of the trees for the sake of what one thinks is the forest. Richard Wright and William Shakespeare are justly praised for their depth and breadth of thought; I wish that in the zeal to focus them on single concepts, these productions didn't reduce their works as much as they do. |
Search CurtainUp in the box below PRODUCTION NOTES Native Son by Nambi Kelley (based on the novel by Richard Wright) Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare Directors :Seret Scott; Janet Zarish Cast: Anthony Bowden (Jan; Lucio), Jason Bowen (Black Rat; Escalus), Rebekah Brockman (Mary; Isabella), Rosalyn Coleman (Hannah), Laura Gragtmans (Mrs. Dalton; Mariana/Mistress Overdone), Lorenzo Jackson (Buddy; Claudio), Henry Jenkinson (Mr. Britten; The Provost), Galen Ryan Kane (Bigger Thomas; Friar Thomas), Sam Lilja (Angelo), Keshav Moodliar (Shop Owner/Reporters/Officers; Duke Vincentio), Katherine Renee Turner (Bessie; Juliet/Francesca) Scenic Design: Neil Patel Costume Design: Sarita Fellows; Jessica Wegener Shay Lighting Design: Alan C. Edwards Original Music & Sound Design: Frederick Kennedy; Fabian Obispo Running time: Ninety minutes; ninety-five minutes The Duke on 42nd St., 229 West 42nd St., (646) 223-3010 Website: https://tickets.dukeon42.org/ From 7/14/19 to 8/24/19, opening 7/14/19 ; closing 8/24/19 Native Son: Wednesday-Thursday, Sunday @ 7 p.m., Friday-Saturday @ 8 p.m.; Measure for Measure: Thursday, Saturday-Sunday @ 2 p.m., Monday @ 7 p.m. Tickets: $37 student or under 30, $42 full admission back row, $77 full admission elsewhere Reviewed by Dr. Gregory A. Wilson based on August 8th performances ); William Shakespeare Director: Seret Scott; Janet Zarish Cast: Anthony Bowden (Jan; Lucio), Jason Bowen (Black Rat; Escalus), Rebekah Brockman (Mary; Isabella), Rosalyn Coleman (Hannah), Laura Gragtmans (Mrs. Dalton; Mariana/Mistress Overdone), Lorenzo Jackson (Buddy; Claudio), Henry Jenkinson (Mr. Britten; The Provost), Galen Ryan Kane (Bigger Thomas; Friar Thomas), Sam Lilja (Angelo), Keshav Moodliar (Shop Owner/Reporters/Officers; Duke Vincentio), Katherine Renee Turner (Bessie; Juliet/Francesca) Scenic Design: Neil Patel Costume Design: Sarita Fellows; Jessica Wegener Shay Lighting Design: Alan C. Edwards Original Music & Sound Design: Frederick Kennedy; Fabian Obispo Running time: Ninety minutes; ninety-five minutes The Duke on 42nd St., 229 West 42nd St., (646) 223-3010 Website: https://tickets.dukeon42.org/ From 7/14/19 to 8/24/19, opening 7/14/19 Native Son: Wednesday-Thursday, Sunday @ 7 p.m., Friday-Saturday @ 8 p.m.; Measure for Measure: Thursday, Saturday-Sunday @ 2 p.m., Monday @ 7 p.m. Tickets: $37 student or under 30, $42 full admission back row, $77 full admission elsewhere Reviewed by Dr. Gregory A. Wilson based on August 8th performances REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
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