Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Theater Review: The Whipping Man

A Fresh, Gripping Take on the Civil War, Slavery and Its Impact
By Lauren Yarger
A wounded confederate soldier drags himself into the burned-out remains of his once-elegant mansion to be cared for by his former slaves who try their best to scrounge up some food in the aftermath of burning and looting in the last days of the Civil War.

Sound familiar? Think again, because Matthew Lopez’ The Whipping Man, presented Off-Broadway by the Manhattan Theatre Club, has a fresh new take on how the war affected one family and on other things no longer easy to define like family and faith.

The soldier is Caleb (Jay Wilkison), a Jew (there's a twist), who arrives at his Virginia home after the South’s surrender to find his parents and all of the slaves have fled to safety, except for Simon (Andre Braugher), who stayed behind to protect the house and await the return of his wife and daughter who left with Caleb’s father. Joining them is another former slave, John (Andre Holland), who steals – he calls it “discovers” – food and other items while waiting for the master’s return. Caleb’s father, it seems, promised money to both John and Simon, and they hope to use it for a fresh start now that they are free.

The first order of business is amputating Caleb’s infected leg, however. He refuses to go to a hospital and insists the two men whom he trusts, also Jews (the twist continues), perform the surgery. While Caleb recovers and Simon plans the first Seder dinner the family has been able to hold in some time, John makes some discoveries about Caleb’s release from the army and his relationship with Simon’s daughter that bring into question the soldier’s character, his father’s honor and the nature of bad blood just under the surface of all the relationships.

Tensions are high and are rooted in past visits to “The Whipping Man,” a cruel sort of overseer to whom slaves were sent for discipline. John was disciplined once for learning how to read the Scriptures and for asking questions like how a Jew could own other Jews as slaves. Questions continue to crack in the present, as well, like what exactly does “family” mean if one member can own and sell the others? How can one allow, or perpetrate horrors against members of one’s own family and faith?

It’s engrossingly interesting as the familiar, yet unusual story of these three men, with wonderful performances directed by Doug Hughes, unfolds. John Lee Beatty’s gloomy set, dimly lighted by Ben Stanton, make visual the dark reality of the story. The only light comes during the Seder when the Scriptures about the slaves being freed in Egypt take on exciting new meaning in the face of the North’s victory in the War Between the States (and coincidentally, in the wake of revolution sweeping current-day Egypt). Baugher is compelling in this scene. His joy radiates.

The Whipping Man plays at NY City Center Stage I, 131 West 55th St., NYC, through April 10. Tickets are available by calling 212- 581-1212.

Christian might also like to know:
• Language
• The scene where Caleb’s leg is amputated contains blood and is graphic.

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Our reviews are professional reviews written without a religious bias. At the end of them, you can find a listing of language, content or theological issues that Christians might want to know about when deciding which shows to see.

** Mature indicates that the show has posted an advisory because of content. Usually this means I would recommend no one under the age of 16 attend.

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

My Bio

Lauren Yarger has written, directed and produced numerous shows and special events for both secular and Christian audiences. She co-wrote a Christian musical version of “A Christmas Carol” which played to sold-out audiences of over 3,000 in Vermont and was awarded the Vermont Bessie (theater and film awards) for “People’s Choice for Theatre.” She also has written two other dinner theaters, sketches for church services and devotions for Christian artists. Her play concept, "From Reel to Real: The Jennifer O'Neill Story" was presented as part of the League of professional Theatre Women's Julia's reading Room Series in New York. Shifting from reviewing to producing, Yarger owns Gracewell Productions, which produced the Table Reading Series at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT. She trained for three years in the Broadway League’s Producer Development Program, completed the Commercial Theater Institute's Producing Intensive and other training and produced a one-woman musical about Mary Magdalene that toured nationally and closed with an off-Broadway run. She was a Fellow at the National Critics Institute at the O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. She wrote reviews of Broadway and Off-Broadway theater (the only ones you can find in the US with an added Christian perspective) at http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/.

She is editor of The Connecticut Arts Connection (http://ctarts.blogspot.com), an award-winning website featuring theater and arts news for the state. She was a contributing editor for BroadwayWorld.com. She previously served as theater reviewer for the Manchester Journal-Inquirer, Connecticut theater editor for CurtainUp.com and as Connecticut and New York reviewer for American Theater Web.

She is a Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women. She is a former vice president and voting member of The Drama Desk.

She is a freelance writer and playwright (member Dramatists Guild of America). She is a member if the The Outer Critics Circle (producer of the annual awards ceremony) and a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, serving as Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter. Yarger was a book reviewer for Publishers Weekly A former newspaper editor and graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Yarger also worked in arts management for the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and served for nine years as the Executive Director of Masterwork Productions, Inc. She lives with her husband in West Granby, CT. They have two adult children.

Copyright

All material is copyright 2008- 2022 by Lauren Yarger. Reviews and articles may not be reprinted without permission. Contact reflectionsinthelight@gmail.com

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Key to Content Notes:

God's name taken in vain -- means God or Jesus is used in dialogue without speaking directly to or about them.

Language -- means some curse words are used. "Minor" usually means the words are not too strong or that it only occurs once or twice throughout the show.

Strong Language -- means some of the more heavy duty curse words are used.

Nudity -- means a man or woman's backside, a man's lower front or a woman's front are revealed.

Scantily clad -- means actors' private areas are technically covered, but I can see a lot of them.

Sexual Language -- means the dialogue contains sexually explicit language but there's no action.

Sexual Activity -- means a man and woman are performing sexual acts.

Adultery -- Means a married man or woman is involved sexually with someone besides their spouse. If this is depicted with sexual acts on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Sex Outside of Marriage -- means a man and woman are involved sexually without being married. If this is depicted sexually on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Homosexuality -- means this is in the show, but not physically depicted.

Homosexual activity -- means two persons of the same sex are embracing/kissing. If they do more than that, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Cross Dresser -- Means someone is dressing as the opposite sex. If they do more than that on stage the listing would include the corresponding "sexual activity" and/or "homosexual activity" as well.

Cross Gender -- A man is playing a female part or a woman is playing a man's part.

Suggestive Dancing -- means dancing contains sexually suggestive moves.

Derogatory (category added Fall 2012) Language or circumstances where women or people of a certain race are referred to or treated in a negative and demeaning manner.

Other content matters such as torture, suicide, or rape will be noted, with details revealed only as necessary in the review itself.

The term "throughout" added to any of the above means it happens many times throughout the show.

Reviewing Policy

I receive free seats to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows made available to all voting members of the Outer Critics Circle. Journalistically, I provide an unbiased review and am under no obligation to make positive statements. Sometimes shows do not make tickets available to reviewers. If these are shows my readers want to know about I will purchase a ticket. If a personal friend is involved in a production, I'll let you know, but it won't influence a review. If I feel there is a conflict, I won't review their portion of the production.

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