|
Regional Reviews: Minneapolis/St. Paul The Gospel of Lovingkindness
Inspired by a real event (a gifted teenaged girl was gunned down by random violence in Chicago in 2013 just days after she had performed at Barack Obama's second inauguration), Gardley has written a story of unspeakable loss from the perspective of two mothers—one mourning the death of her beloved son, the other stunned by the loss of her son, also beloved, to the unforgiving tar pit of crime and violence that masquerades as manhood. Emmanuel—called Manny—is a handsome, self-confident black youth, just back in his south side Chicago neighborhood after singing "Ave Maria" at a White House Christmas event. Cherished by his parents, Mary and Joe, Manny has a strong sense of personal worth—he knows that he is considered a "great catch" by the girls, because he is on track to a good life, clear of the pitfalls that swallow so many of his peers. However, he is not without vanity, which proves to be his Achilles heel. In another part of Chicago, hardworking single mother Miriam attempts to steer her teenage son Noel onto a path that is both realistic, given their circumstances, but also aspirational, to help him claim wings to fly above the project walls she has allowed to constrain her life. She also admonishes him to get a job to help with family expenses. Noel tries to heed her, but lacks the resources and role models to follow Miriam's advisements. Things go from tough to dire when Noel learns he has fathered a baby. He falls into a sea of traps set all around him. Guilelessly, Manny is hooked by a trap as well, as Noel takes Manny's life. For both these near-men, all is lost. The play focuses most on Mary's struggle against the savage blow to her heart. She first withdraws in a stupor. When she finally speaks at Manny's funeral, her words, while drenched with love, are awkward and meandering. An encounter with the spirt of early civil rights activist Ida B. Wells spurs Mary to find meaning in her tragic loss through dedication to the greater good. Mary roars as a champion against laws that allow a flow of guns on the street, schools that fail to educate, and an economy that leaves too many without hope. She is desperate for the boy who murdered her son to be caught, yet wonders "what good will come from one more black man in prison?" We also see Miriam fall as she struggles with a life of just getting by, hoping to give her son something more, though she lacks the wherewithal to bring such hope to fruition. We see Noel's naïve belief that charm, swagger, and good intent are enough. He has never been shown how to plan for the future; all he knows are the unmet needs and wants of the now. In a reckless act, Noel's life loses its value, and he transfers whatever fragments of hope he can muster as a legacy to his infant son, whom he must now abandon. However, in the end, we are left to believe in hope, as Mary and Miriam find each other, recognize the common burden they shoulder, and see, in spite of all evidence to the contrary, the hope of brighter light ahead. Gardley depicts both Manny and Noel in the full context of their lives, so we recognize that neither are bad kids, and both have clear assets, though differing resources to support their journey into adulthood. Each are undone by vanity and pride perpetuated by a consumer culture beyond their reach. Their names, Emmanuel ("God is present"), and Noel ("Birth," commonly the birth of Jesus), and the fact that the story takes place just before and after Christmas, attest to a sense that both entered the world bathed in goodness. Though the play is heavy going, it moves with gathering momentum without intermission, and attention never flags. Each scene contributes to our understanding and growing compassion for everyone connected to this tragedy. The only time the play falters is in a radio talk-show scene with Mary, in fire-brand mode, facing off against a suburban legislator voicing facile solutions to inner city violence. Both the talk show host and legislator come across as stereotypes set up solely to provide a soapbox from which Mary can spew her rage. The acting throughout is breathtaking. Thomasina Petrus has never been better, revealing a range and depth of feelings as Mary, crying out with stunning authenticity. As Miriam, Aimee K. Bryant depicts the weariness of a woman striving against daily struggles, then shocked as her worst fears come to pass. Bryant plays several other roles, notably the strong-willed Ida B. Wells, and the lone witness to the murder at the core of the story, with the deepest conviction. Namir Smallwood is both Manny and Noel, an astonishing double-play that makes very clear the similar urges and needs of these two young men, as well as the ways in which their different environments, family support systems, and natural gifts lead them to different paths. James A. Williams plays Joe, a less developed character, but Williams gives Joe the force of a man strong enough to truly love, even in the face of scathing loss. In a range of smaller roles—a basketball coach, a Walmart hiring manager, the suburban legislator, and a drug dealer—Williams creates quick, sharp portraits that support the thrust of the story. Dean Holtzman's beautiful set provides a child-like view of the urban landscape in which both Manny and Noel live their lives, underscoring the innocence with which both entered the world. Trevor Bowen's costumes aptly describe each character, while Michael Wangen's lighting intensifies the emotional temperature of each scene. Katherine Horowitz contributes sound design that provides the noise of traffic, trains, and humanity that is a constant presence in the characters' lives. Yet, when Manny sings "Ave Maria" at the play's opening, every a capella note is crystal clear. The Gospel of Lovingkindness is the second play I have seen in the space of five days that reveals the pain of a mother losing a son to senseless violence, the first being Juno and the Paycock at the Guthrie. That these are set on different continents, ninety years apart, attests to the truth that this affliction has been with us a very long time, and is unique to no culture, race, or place. As Ida B. Wells states when her screed against the lynching of black men is challenged by the fact that for decades there have been no lynchings, "lynching continues, only now bullets take the place of the noose." If theater has a role in helping us understand the deepest, most intransigent of our society's woes, to emphasize with all of the victims, and to generate hope for moving beyond the darkness, The Gospel of Lovingkindness is a praiseworthy addition to the canon of these essential works. The Gospel of Lovingkindness continues through June 28, 2015, at the Pillsbury House Theatre, 3501 Chicago Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN. Regular price tickets are $25.00, Pick-your-price tickets are $5.00 to $50.00. For tickets call 612-825-0459 or visit pillsburyhouseandtheatre.org. Writer: Marcus Gardley; Director: Marion McClinton; Set Design: Dean Holtzman; Costume Design: Trevor Bowen; Lighting Design: Michael Wangen; Sound Design: Katherine Horowitz; Prop Design: Kellie Larson; Assistant Costume Design: Za'Nia Coleman; Assistant Lighting Design: Merritt Rodriguez; Production Stage Manager: Elizabeth R. MacNally; Fight Choreographer: Heidi Batz Rogers; Pillsbury House Theatre Producing Directors: Faye M. Price and Noel Raymond Cast: Aimee K. Bryant (Martha, Police Officer, Miriam, Ida B. Wells, Mrs. Thomas), Thomasina Petrus (Mary), Namir Smallwood (Emmanuel, Noel, Zachariah), James A. Williams (Joe, Coach, Employer, Jude, Baptiste).
|
