|
Review
Broke-ology
Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre (Lincoln Center)
October 4, 2009
Morgan Wycks
mwycks@nyconstage.org
The new play Broke-ology by Nathan Louis Jackson is in many ways the African-American version of "Death of a Salesman". There is a working class father, William King, his doting wife, Sonia (who eventually becomes a spiritual presence after her untimely death), and two sons, Ennis and Malcolm, who have different ideas about how their lives should be led. Ennis is stuck in a dead-end job and expecting a baby from his inter-racial marriage. Malcolm is extremely well-educated with graspable dreams that would take him from the homestead. William is deteriorating from MS and is also hallucinating as a result of his medications. If the family comes apart, William's decline is apt to accelerate. Like Willy Loman, Willy King comes up with a very sad solution. The drama, however, stems mostly from the brothers' arguments about responsibility to family and/or responsibility to self.
What is refreshing about Mr. Jackson's writing is the realism he brings to the stage that many contemporary writers can't seem to provide anymore, and that instead of the usual dysfunctional family drama we get a family that functions rather well because of the binding love at its core. On the downside, the drama isn't particularly compelling. As a representation of middle class and working class values, Broke-ology (a term coined by Ennis in his penury state) is on solid ground, and audience identification, or at least audience understanding, of the huge portion of this country's populace is effectively procured by director Thomas Kail.
On the depressingly lived-in set by Donyale Werle, the cast ranges from adequate to outstanding and despite the different levels of accomplishment, Mr. Kail manages to make each actor communicate honestly with the others. In the rather thankless role of Sonia, Crystal A. Dickinson is given little to work with but does her best to convey a woman whose dreams have been sacrificed for family. As Malcolm, Alano Miller takes his cue from Ms. Dickinson to incorporate not just the desire of his dreams but the necessity of escaping his oppressive environment. Though he's a bit stiff as an actor it doesn't detract from his connection to the other performers. Wendell Pierce, who plays William, is an actor who often strikes me as pushing everything to wrest emotions from the audience. He has the unfortunate habit of indicating and only comes into his own when he focuses on something specific. At the opposite spectrum, however, is the magnificent Francois Battiste. In this and other plays from the past few seasons, Mr. Battiste demonstrates that he's an actor's actor and he is the spark here that brings Broke-ology alive.
Mr. Jackson is currently writing for television but this play showcases a theatre talent that could definitely bloom into something special.
...end
|
