FV Theater Season with Controversial Broadway show
The FV Theatre Program opened the
2019-2020 season recently with the controversial play Race by Broadway
playwright, David Mamet. The show took audiences on a whirlwind ride of legal
arguments, stereotypes, societal pressures, personal beliefs and biases. The
storyline revolves around two lawyers, one black and one white, trying to
defend a rich white man who was charged with raping a black woman.
When their new assistant helps
solve the case, the different beliefs about people, and the situation causes
drama between the characters. This story changes the topic on what we think but
cannot say. Professor Daniel J. Betzler directed the play which reveal the
truths about America’s issues with race. Sherard Curry plays an African-American
attorney, Henry Brown, who is astute and supports his colleague, white attorney
Jack Lawson, played by Zachery Pierson. Lawson is controlling, self-centered,
and only cares about his job being a lawyer. David Henley plays Charles
Strickland, the wealthy, scared, young, and nervous client. Finally, L’Oreal Stevenson
plays the attorneys’ smart and bold legal assistant, Susan, who is African
American.
The play is set in an office which
is supposed to be their law firm. Henry and Jack complain back and forth if
they can represent their client Charles. Henry believes a jury will accuse
Charles for the crime only because he is white. Jack thinks that he is already
guilty and doesn’t want to represent him. The irony in this story reveals that
Jack thinks everyone is stupid but hires Susan and Henry for his company. Soon
Henry and Jack agree to represent Charles and they start to collect clues. They
get witnesses, and evidence such as the
red-sequins dress missing from the crime scene, and a post card from Charles
college vacation trip. Charles believes he never seen the items and only met
the woman a few times. Henry and Jack yell racial statements at Charles so he
can confess. Henry doesn’t like that Jack hired Susan because she is a very
smart woman. Behind Susan’s back, he says that he investigated her before he
hired her. He believes that she lied on her job application just so she can get
the job.
He informs her about her duties as
a woman. Susan is tires of his insults about her race and tells him the truth.
Charles confessed to the press that he did rape that woman and hid the red
dress in his coat pocket. Susan sent in the post card from Charles old college
friend and knew that he was guilty from the beginning. Susan slammed the door
leaving her life as an assistant, standing up to Henry and Jack, and their
silly stereotypes about people. The play signified the roles women should be
portrayed in life and how men think we can’t do the same things that they can
do. It left the audience with a suspense showing that it’s your interpretation
about the topic of race. Regardless if that race or the other race is
different, we should come together as one by accepting everyone is equal in our
society.
The Terry M. Fischer Theatre’s next
production is Spoon River Anthology
which to be presented November 7-10. For more information go to
stlcc.edu/theater/fv or call 314-513-4488.
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