Creating
a play from author Ralph Ellison’s Court 1952 classic
Invisible Man—as Court Theatre has done–would seem as risky
as sailors following the call of the Sirens. And yet what
company wouldn’t be tempted?
The book has strong central character in the
unnamed black male protagonist who tells the reader a
nightmarish coming of age story that doubles as a treatise on
race in 20th century America. He is invisible, he
learns — and we learn — because white people refuse to
acknowledge him. But Ellison’s book substitutes straight
narrative with time shifts, metaphor, humorous riffs, and
episodic pieces and character soliloquies that are like the jazz
music that inspired his writing. There’s a riot, a factory
explosion and assorted other calamities. In the wrong hands, the
play could have been diluted to assure a clearer storyline for
the audience — or mishandled to the point of shipwreck.
Fortunately, director Christopher McElroen
steers clear of the rocks and sails nicely with Invisible
Man, which made its world premiere last Saturday at Court
Theatre. McElroen’s steady hand and Oren Jacoby’s well-done
adaptation retains the power of Ellison’s landmark book — long
thought to be unable to be staged — and more than a bit of its
brilliance. [Read more]
I
was delighted to have the opportunity to steal a moment from
Tamberla Perry at the Goodman Theater between an “artist talk”
and a preview performance! Tamberla is starring alongside
Geoffrey Owens, Patrick Clear and Marc Grapey in Race by
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet, directed by Chuck
Smith. I’ve enjoyed Tamberla in numerous performances,
including Brother/Sister Plays at Steppenwolf,
Northlight’s Eclipsed, Fedra: Queen of Haiti at
LookingGlass and several performances with MPAACT Afrikan
Centered Theatre, of which she is a member. [Read
more]
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