On a stormy night, Confederate solider, Captain Caleb DeLeon, returns home (a wonderfully gutted manor designed by Jeffery Stander) shortly after the Confederacy’s surrender at Appomattox. He finds the family’s major-domo (and freed slave), Simon, still guarding the house. Later joined by another former family slave, John, the three men realize it is Passover and have a traditional Jewish seder in which secrets are revealed in Matthew Lopez’s gripping drama, The Whipping Man, now playing at the Omaha Community Playhouse.
Lopez’s script is one of the most thought provoking pieces of drama I’ve seen produced in a very long time. It asks the audience questions of identity, what it really means to be free and to be a slave, the cost of secrets, and the price of faith. Director Stephen Nachamie expertly navigates the multiple layers and themes of the show with well paced, skillful direction and has culled some powerful performances from his three actors.
Andy Prescott gives a fine accounting of himself in his debut performance at the Playhouse as Caleb DeLeon. As DeLeon, Prescott demonstrates a great understanding of the use of body language as his character starts the show with a severely gangrenous left leg. Every step had the audience wincing with him as he shuddered, gasped, and groaned from the pain. Prescott is simultaneously sympathetic and unlikable as the former Confederate solider. In some ways, he is more a slave than Simon and John as he is imprisoned by his culture, his cowardice, and his immaturity. Yet he also has the soul of a poet and not as ingrained in the mindset of slavery as some of his contemporaries.
Prescott has a wonderful speaking voice which is capable of some very beautiful nuances. This is especially crucial to his role as DeLeon is confined to a chair for the bulk of the play due to the amputation of his leg. But I also thought that gift of voice could have been put to better use in some of the more dramatic moments. A couple of poignant scenes seemed slightly too underplayed and could have used a wider range of expression and emotion.
As Simon, Carl Brooks demonstrates complete mastery of his craft with a meticulously detailed performance. Brooks’ presence is incredible as he fills the room with warmness, humility, and humanity. Brooks’ Simon was brought up in Judaism as part of this household and he is very devout in that faith. When he realizes that it is Passover, he decides to improvise a Jewish seder (Passover meal) which now means more to him than ever before since he is finally free and now has a true kinship with and understanding of his spiritual brethren on the night of the Exodus.
Brooks’ performance is flawless. He ably moves from beat to beat, switching between joy, anger, pity, frustration, and concern on the turn of a dime. Brooks also expertly handles the Hebrew pronunciation and possesses a fine singing voice as demonstrated during the seder.
Luther Simon’s cynically happy-go-lucky essaying of John brought a unique combination of lightness and darkness to the play. As John, Simon presents a front of being jokey and lackadaisical. But this front only serves to hide a very deep-seated hatred of his former life as a slave and his sense of betrayal by Caleb during a previous incident with the unseen whipping man. Although he is now a free man, John is more of a slave than ever. He is enslaved by the bottle, by lying, by greed, and he is imprisoned in Richmond due to a life altering choice. In turns, Simon is amusing and haunting.
Mounting a drama of this type requires a colossal amount of energy on the parts of the actors. This is especially true for this show as each actor has enough dialogue for a one man show and must work his way through innumerable beats and moments. This can severely tire a performer and was a bit noticeable in tonight’s show as it took a bit for the actors to really get going and their energy started to flag a bit at the end. This in no way shortchanged this powerful tale which could be one of the finest dramas mounted this theatre season.
“This is who we are,” says Simon at one point. And who they are was not determined by what they were born into, but rather by the choices that lead the characters to the climax of this sensational drama.
The Whipping Man will be performed at the Omaha Community Playhouse until November 16. Performances are Thurs-Sat at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm. The show deals with sensitive subject matter and contains some adult language. It is not recommended for children. Tickets cost $36 ($22 for students). Contact the box office at 402-553-0800 or visit http://www.omahaplayhouse.com. The Omaha Playhouse is located at 6915 Cass Street in Omaha, NE.
Chris' Corner 