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<\/a>The days following the Civil War were confusing ones, especially in the Old South. Roles changed dramatically, the upper class was suddenly impoverished and soldiers returning home had no idea where they fit in. That\u2019s the world Matthew Lopez\u2019s \u201cThe Whipping Man\u201d captures perfectly. In the microcosm of his three-person show, all these changes, class upheaval and the pain of a war lost are played out in brilliant detail. <\/p>\nAnd in that microcosm, we see the race issues the entire country went through and continued to struggle with for decades to come. And yet, the play never feels like a history lesson.<\/p>\n
The play begins as Jewish Confederate soldier Caleb returns to his family\u2019s mansion in Richmond, Virginia only days after Lee\u2019s surrender. Caleb is badly wounded by a gunshot to the leg, but refuses to travel to a hospital. A former family slave, Simon, is still at the house, protecting it as best he can from vandals and thieves. Simon sees immediately that Caleb\u2019s leg needs to be amputated or the boy will die. After Caleb pleads for his help, Simon does just that.<\/p>\n
Simon and Caleb decide to wait for Caleb\u2019s parents to return. Meanwhile, chaos enters their home when John, another former slave, comes into the mix. John and Caleb were practically raised together, and they were best friends until a whipping made clear who was the master and who was the slave. Now that Simon and John are free, they and Caleb are just beginning to realize how their relationships must change.<\/p>\n
Both Simon and John had adopted Caleb\u2019s family\u2019s religion and they decide to hold a Passover Seder. In the hours of preparation, secrets come out, old wounds are revisited and relationships change more dramatically than any of them thought possible.<\/p>\n
Lopez\u2019s juxtaposition of the slaves\u2019 freedom and that of the Jews in Egypt, especially when comparing President Lincoln to Moses, brings a historical and personal depth to the text. It illuminates the fact that Caleb\u2019s ancestors were once slaves as well.<\/p>\n
Making this production so seamless are the performances of the three excellent actors. Mark J. Sullivan\u2019s Caleb is wonderfully conflicted between family honor, his own selfish needs and loyalty to these two former slaves. He swings easily from petulant and scared to defiant and faithless \u2014 all while sitting in one spot most of the show. <\/p>\n
The anchor of the show is Charlie Robinson as the elderly Simon, who wants to remain loyal to the family he belonged to, but also wants freedom. Robinson, who is best recognized as Mac the bailiff from TV\u2019s \u201cNight Court,\u201d brings an emotional resonance to an old man who wants to cling to what he knows and the place he called home, yet also craves the freedom he\u2019s dreamed of for decades.<\/p>\n
Most conflicted of all is John, who is the catalyst in the play, pushing and manipulating the other characters and at the same time, dealing with the guilt that will keep him from ever being truly free. Avery Glymph finds a balance between the character\u2019s need for family and his ever-present hate for a lifetime of whippings. His manic energy calls up the image of a trapped fox.<\/p>\n
Robert Mark Morgan\u2019s in-the-round set just barely captures a room in a burnt out plantation, but could have gone much further. The broken windows hung high above the audience seem disconnected from the stage, although the staircase is the only element that hints at the building\u2019s former glory.<\/p>\n
Denitsa D. Bliznakova\u2019s costumes are not flashy or colorful, but perfectly show the inner life of each character. John\u2019s ever-fancier costumes, as he plunders from other plantations in an attempt to adopt the appearance of a white and wealthy Southern gentleman, are wonderfully subtle.<\/p>\n
Giovanna Sardelli\u2019s hand is practically invisible, which is the greatest compliment one can give a director. Between her simple yet cohesive direction and the actors\u2019 natural performances, this production feels so real you may feel as if you\u2019ve slipped back in time. <\/p>\n
Proving that the best history lesson is the one you don\u2019t know you\u2019re getting.<\/p>\n