{"id":5694,"date":"2013-04-15T12:23:28","date_gmt":"2013-04-15T19:23:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=5694"},"modified":"2013-04-15T12:24:47","modified_gmt":"2013-04-15T19:24:47","slug":"whipping-man-is-a-fresh-exciting-mill-valley-must-see","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/whipping-man-is-a-fresh-exciting-mill-valley-must-see\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Whipping Man\u2019 is a fresh, exciting Mill Valley must-see"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Momentarily celebrating in \u201cThe Whipping Man\u201d are (from left) Tobie Windham (as John), L. Peter Callender (Simon) and Nicolas Pelczar (Caleb). Photo: Kevin Berne.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Minutes into it, I surmised that all the elements in \u201cThe Whipping Man\u201d would come together as exquisitely as a Rubik\u2019s Cube.<\/p>\n

My instincts were right.<\/p>\n

The drama by Matthew Lopez, who simultaneously slices into the vagaries of humanity and inhumanity as skillfully as he depicts a gangrenous Civil War amputation, is a one-of-a-kind powerhouse despite it making me think of August Wilson one minute and Redd Foxx the next.<\/p>\n

The Marin Theatre Company production in Mill Valley in fact isn\u2019t derivative. It\u2019s as fresh and exciting as anything on the boards in the entire Bay Area.<\/p>\n

Director Jasson Minadakis has excelled his previous successes with this show, making the opening night audience leap to its collective feet with approval. Like a magician whose magic wand is finely tuned, he ensures that each action, each phrase, each emotion is cloaked in authenticity.<\/p>\n

The acting \u2014 by L. Peter Callender as black patriarch and ex-slave Simon; Tobie Windham as John, a freed sneak thief and dreamer seeking refuge; and Nicholas Pelczar as Caleb, a Jewish white slaver\u2019s scion who\u2019s been wounded in more than one way \u2014 is universally superb.Inspired, also, are the intentionally decrepit set by scenic designer Kat Conley, the dramatic lighting by Ben Wilhelm, the moody sound effects by Will McCandless and the apt costumes by Jacqueline Firkins.<\/p>\n

On the surface, the play \u2014 marked by sharp dialogue that draws not nervous laughter but guffaw<\/p>\n

s triggered by genuine characters rather than stereotypes \u2014 is about Jews and blacks and, surprisingly, black Jews. Its themes erupt in a series of verbal mazes \u2014 including the DNA of slavery, the roots of freedom, and the construction and deconstruction of family and forgiveness.Let alone brotherhood, faith and hypocrisy.<\/p>\n

Much of the subject matter\u2019s been tackled before, but rarely executed as well, possibly never in a scenario involving black Jews.<\/p>\n

The scene is a dilapidated homestead in Richmond, Virginia, in 1865, over a stormy three-day peri<\/p>\n

od that includes Abe Lincoln\u2019s assassination.A makeshift Passover Seder (commemorating the Israelites escape from Egyptian bondage) becomes an unusual focus, masterfully created by Lopez, a gay Episcopalian of Puerto Rican and Polish-Russian heritage whose direct knowledge of Jewish holidays apparently came in part from attending ritual meals hosted by his Semitic aunt and cousins.<\/p>\n

The play, presented as a co-production with Virginia Stage Company, stays on point throughout \u2014 another kudo due Minadakis.<\/p>\n

Its only inconsistency is the dialogue, which sometimes veers into current usage rather than yesterday\u2019s.<\/p>\n

And its only flaw is that once in a while a character talks in needlepoint-speak. Such as: \u201cWar is not proof of God\u2019s absence; it\u2019s proof of his absence from men\u2019s hearts.\u201dMore insightful is what I perceive to an accurate portrayal of Jewish sensibility: \u201cWe talk with God\u2026sometimes we even rassle with Him. But [as Jews] we keep asking questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Astute, too, is this poignant passage about slavery: \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a friendship\u2026not when one owns the other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lopez is consistently sharp but occasionally shows flashes of brilliance. As in labeling Lincoln, in keeping with biblical inserts and the Exodus theme of Passover, as \u201cFather Abraham, who set us free\u201d and \u201cour American Moses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Highlights in \u201cThe Whipping Man\u201d range from a hilarious set piece about cutting and chewing horsemeat to a rousing rendition of a multi-purposed spiritual, \u201cLet My People Go\u201d \u2014 along with shocking, intense moments stemming from both verbal and visual reminders of whippings and their aftermath.Revelations of long-held secrets only deepen the drama.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Whipping Man,\u201d finally, attacks with passion and muscle. There\u2019s no question that it burned into my brain and resonated long after I left the theater.\u00a0Bay Area showcases seem to exist in every nook and cranny, but a theatrical must-see is rare.<\/p>\n

This is<\/em> one.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Whipping Man\u201d plays at the Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley, through Sunday, April 28. Performances Tuesdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m.; Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m.; matinees Saturdays and Sundays, 2 p.m. Tickets: $15 to $57. Information: (415) 388-5208 or marintheatre.org.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Minutes into it, I surmised that all the elements in \u201cThe Whipping Man\u201d would come together as exquisitely as a Rubik\u2019s Cube. My instincts were right. The drama by…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5694","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-woody-weingarten"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"