The Whipping Man . . .

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REVIEW: The Whipping Man at Curtain Call Theatre
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
By Bob Goepfert

LATHAM – “The Whipping Man”at Curtain Call Theatre in Latham is a production that will offer serious theatergoers a thoughtful and rewarding evening.

“The Whipping Man” takes place at the end of the American Civil War and is about three men who are about to face an uncertain future as the war ends. Former slaves are now free and a young man is about to face life as a disabled man. What makes play, written by Matthew Lopez, so fascinating is that two of the men are African-Americans- who were former slaves who belonged to the family of the third man. Especially provocative is all the men are practicing Jews, as the slave owners were Jewish and raised their slaves as Jews. The thing that binds them is a common religion. The play takes place at Passover when Jews celebrate their own liberation from slavery. Here you have are two black men coping with their freedom from a family who owned slaves - despite the fact that the history of the Jewish culture is defined by centuries of oppression.

The premise is provocative, but there is even more to appreciate. The former-slaves have been put in the situation where they are responsible to save the life of their young former-owner who is now a wounded Confederate officer. Each man is in a position which tests them to do the right thing. In the second act, when each man’s secrets are revealed the audience comes to questions – what is the right thing? Curtain Call delivers a strong production of this complex and demanding material.

As Simon, Emmet Ferris brings a solid dignity to the man who has remained faithful to the family and the home where he and his family worked as slaves. Ferris is the epitome of good man wronged by a social system that negated human value. Michael Lake plays John the younger man who also served the family as a slave. He was treated poorly by the family and his resentments about the past run deep. John’s future is uncertain as he does not have Simon’s moral compass that he’ll need as he tests his future as a free man. Caleb is the Civil War officer who returns home with a horrible injury to his leg. He has difficulty relating to his two former slaves as equals and is adrift about the future as his cloudy military career was not distinguished. Paul Dedrick effectively captures the man's arrogance and his desperation.

It is smartly directed by Carol Max and Barbara Richards who set a deliberate pace rather than embellishing the drama with artificial distractions. Indeed, the discreet handling of what could be a horrifying scene of an operation is handled with taste and restraint. This is all played on a phenomenal set by Charles Murdock Lucas that is actually better than the set in the 2010 production offered at Barrington Stage Company. Indeed, the entire Curtain Call presentation can be favorably compared to that professional, star-driven production.

“The Whipping Man” is an excellent play that is given a first-rate production. It might not be for every taste, but it is for

anyone who enjoys to think during and after a theater experience.

Curtain Call's "The Whipping Man" a hard-hitting drama
By Michael Eck, Times Union

COLONIE — Passover. It commemorates the Exodus, when the Jews were freed from slavery. Wine, unleavened bread, bitter herbs and the like take on symbolic meaning during the Seder, which itself reflects on a desert meal hastily put together by the children of Moses while in flight from Egypt. But what if the Seder consisted of stolen wine, purloined Union Army hardtack and backyard collard greens — much less a Seder with a brick standing in for the charoset, that sweet conglomeration of fruits and nuts meant to represent the mortar for Egyptian storehouses.

Such a gathering is at the center of Matthew Lopez's magnificent Civil War play, "The Whipping Man," onstage at Curtain Call Theatre. The troupe is calling it a regional premiere, but the play was given a remarkable early production by Barrington Stage Company in 2010. The latter staging offered star power in the form of TV's Clarke Peters, but CCT's is no less powerful for its lesser-known cast.

In "The Whipping Man," Lopez creates a fascinating situation, which begins when a wounded rebel soldier stumbles in the door of a burned out Richmond town house in April of 1865. Lee has surrendered. The war is over. The slaves are free. (And Lincoln is soon to be shot). The house, to his great relief, is his own. Captain Caleb DeLeon is home. But it is not the home he remembers, and the only denizens are former family slaves Simon and John, who continually remind DeLeon that he is no longer their master.

"The Whipping Man," at its heart, is all about points of view, beginning with the fact that the audience is asked to accept African-American slaves who are also, like the family they served, devout Jews. It's history, of course, just not as we're used to hearing it. Each character constantly reminds the others about their own very different points of view, and Lopez's dialogue never fails to startle. Revelations fall like the rain that creates a sonic background for the entire play. This being the theater, the characters never get wet, but that's OK. It's just one more jolt, and due to the strengths of Lopez's story it does nothing to dent the veracity of the telling.

Emmett Ferris leads the cast as Simon — old but not frail, unschooled but wise, he is the moral center of the play. Ferris came to the craft late in his own life, but he continues to impress with every role, and this may be his best work yet. CCT newcomer Paul Dederick plays DeLeon. He is convincing in his pain, even after his leg is lopped off; and he opens the second act with a strong monologue underscored by Jay Spriggs' able sound design. And Michael Lake — recently seen as The Chief in Classic Theatre Guild's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" — is well-cast as John, the restless "pea in a pod" slave to Caleb's master. Lake has this production's most stirring speech, recounting his frequent visits to the titular whipping man.

"The Whipping Man" is not for the faint of heart, nor is it feel-good fun. It is a strong production of a hard-hitting play that surprises at every turn.

Civil War aftermath framework of drama examining freedom
Sunday, April 15, 2012
By Matthew G. Moross, Daily Gazette

LATHAM — Matthew Lopez’s “The Whipping Man,” a tense and forceful drama set during the aftermath of the American Civil War, wonderfully questions the cost and true nature of freedom. In frequent production by various regional theaters since its debut in 2006, few modern plays have successfully tackled such an elusive theme, and succeeded with it so magnificently.

For those who did not see the play in its professional regional premiere at Barrington Stage in 2010, the current production at Latham’s Curtain Call Theatre is most worthwhile.

It is April 1865; just days just after Lee surrendered his Army of the South. A gravely wounded Confederate soldier Caleb (Paul Dederick) has dragged himself back to his family home just outside of Richmond. The house is empty and his family has fled, but Caleb is not alone. Two of the family slaves, now emancipated, have also returned home. The older, and paternal Simon (Emmett Ferris), never really left and has been taking care of the ruined house in the absence of Caleb’s family. The younger and brash John (Michael Lake), whose reasons for returning are more obscure, may appear to welcome the returning soldier, but the world has changed and so has their relationship.

One thing that still unites them is their religion — all three have been raised as Jews. As a way of regrouping this newly named family and ironically acknowledging the new world order after Appomattox — the men decide to celebrate the arrival of Passover together. But the celebration reveals truths that must be faced before any of the men can be truly set free.

Curtain Call’s production of this play is highly engrossing, impassioned and extremely well presented. Each of the three actors navigates the twists and turns of the scarred emotional landscape with graceful ease. All three are just brilliant.

Exciting and innovative as the play may be, there are moments that stumble. At times, the author’s dialogue trips with a too modern turn of phrase, which catches the ear and distracts. Further, as the evening moves forward the storytelling gets rushed and in doing so, reveals that it is slightly over-manufactured. But these are small quibbles when one relishes the scope of what Lopez has created. The core themes ring with a certain relevance that transcends the script’s attempt at earnestness.

Charles Murdock Lucas’ design of the once grand abode (masterfully realized by master carpenter Peter Max), now rotted by the scourge of weather and war, is a visual and visceral standout. Costumes by Jenna Dott and lighting by Greg Goff also complement, evoking all the necessary shadow and unrest the tale has to tell.

Staged with a stark clarity that is right for the story, co-directors Carol Max and Barbara Richards manage to keep the action well grounded in an emotional truth that proves never stiff nor forced.

The Whipping Man may not be for everyone, but a tale of the respect and responsibility that freedom demands has seldom seemed more appropriate. Curtain Call has mounted a nearly flawless production of a tremendously difficult play. The production is not to be missed.