On November 5, 2008 millions saw Civil Rights activist and friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Reverend Jesse Jackson, with tears streaming down his face as President-elect Barack Obama took to the stage on a chilly night in Chicago. Jesse Jackson was with Dr. King the day he was assassinated and since then continued to fight for and speak on equality for African-Americans. To recall that forty years later a man with African blood would become the forty-fourth president of the United States of America caused many to believe that Dr. King’s dream did come true and that his quest was not for naught.
Contrast the immediate feeling of euphoria by millions after November 4th with the first few minutes of “The Good Negroâ€â€“–a new play at The Public Theater written by Tracy Scott Wilson and directed by Liesl Tommy. The clock is turned back about forty-five years to Birmingham, Alabama. On a large stage with aged wood panel floor the cast stands still until the spotlight shines on Reverend James “Jimmy†Lawrence (Curtis McClarin) as he preaches about freedom and non-violent action for Blacks in America. As the illumination on him dims, the action in the front corner of the stage takes place where a young Black mother named Claudette Sullivan (Joniece Abbott-Pratt) is being roughed up by a racist White man, Tommy Rowe (Erik Jensen). Rowe insists on doing his civic duty by conducting a citizen’s arrest because Claudette’s four year old daughter Sherry used the White only bathroom. The intensity of their struggle is interspersed with the increasing power of Rev. Lawrence’s speech. As Miss Sullivan is carted off the stage by policemen enforcing segregation laws the stage goes dark and the reality of the Civil Rights Movement sets in.
“The Good Negro†story starts off with the arrival of young, upper-class Black businessman, Bill Rutherford (LeRoy McClain). Rutherford has left his comfy life and lovely wife in Geneva to help Rev. Lawrence and his second in command, Henry Evans (J. Bernard Calloway) a man who may remind audiences of a slightly slimmer Cedric the Entertainer in both mannerisms and voice, as they attempt to push The Movement in Birmingham. Needing to rejuvenate their reputation and the cause, along with the people of Alabama, Reverends Lawrence and Evans want to utilize Claudette and Sherry’s recent arrest as their image to push The Movement. Claudette being a lovely, kind, and well-spoken woman makes her perfect as their ‘poster child’ for pushing for freedom and bringing segregation in Birmingham to a halt.
Juxtaposed against the African-American fight for freedom are two White FBI agents played by Quincy Dunn-Baker and Brian Wallace who track Lawrence at home, in the office, and anywhere else they can put a bug. The FBI agents enlist Tommy Rowe to become a member of the Ku Klux Klan and gather information on any uprisings that may happen against the civil rights leader. Their job is to keep a race war from engulfing Birmingham and trickling throughout the United States. As they attempt to monitor both sides they also consider the reality of the situation as the younger Moore (Dunn-Baker) seems more sympathetic to the African-American plight than the older Agent Lane (Wallace). Both agents answer to “The Old Manâ€â€“–whom one may assume is a reference to J. Edgar Hoover during his vendetta against Dr. King and his desire to out him as a philandering husband that should not have been worshipped as the center of the Civil Rights Movement.
Because Wilson wrote so few stage directions, director Tommy utilized the stage and coordinated actors entrance & exits to further develop the scenes. Using a technique she called “ghostingâ€â€“– where actors are on stage with one another even if they are not actively in the scene or interacting with one another––proved to be a vital technique. The audience is exposed to real time reactions by the FBI agents as they listen to the friendly banter or arguments between the Civil Rights leaders or as they hear the conflict they caused rise between Lawrence and his wife Corinne (Rachel Nicks).
“The Good Negro†reveals internal politics that occur during such a movement and the struggle for power within one’s own circle as well as for each group (those for segregation and those against) as The Movement gained momentum. Strife between Reverend Evans and Rutherford is apparent from the day Rutherford arrived as Evans looks down on him for not being a “true†Negro having fled to Geneva for a lush life away from the constant struggle that African-Americans face. In reality Evans is also dealing with his insecurity of potentially being replaced as Rev. Lawrence’s go-to-guy and losing ground as one of the premiere members of The Movement. Rutherford attempts to come to terms with some of the hypocrisy of Rev. Lawrence as the Reverend tries to conquer his “personal vices†to experience a slight bit of freedom, when all the while he constantly feels weighed down by the pressures of The Movement having to succeed. Corinne puts on a brave face as she continues to stand by her husband and his battles even when confronted with his indiscretions. Even the FBI Agents have their crosses to bear, with Agent Moore complaining about having missed a chance to work in Las Vegas and figuring what would be the harm in having “them†eat at the lunch counter so that his surveillance in Alabama can come to an end. Claudette’s husband Pelzie (Francois Battiste) represents the Black man who goes with the flow. Not hurting anyone else and not expecting to be hurt by anyone. While he doesn’t quite portray the intellect that Rev. Lawrence and Rutherford would like next to his clean-cut and kind wife, he does contain the intellect of a man who knows how to read through people and does so with some accuracy throughout the play.
Even in times of dissension or horror there are comedic moments, particularly when it comes to the straight & narrow Rutherford as he attempts to sway attendees at a Black church. Next to the enthusiasm and righteousness that Evans and Lawrence convey Rutherford comes off as a stick-in-the-mud that requires order and cannot go against the grain. His simple, yet uncomfortable gyration, as he spouts “Praise Him!†in the absence of Evans and Lawrence incites laughter at his willingness to try just as freedom looks to be an attainable object.
The success of “The Good Negro†is in reminding the audience of the behind-the-scenes action during one of the toughest struggles for African-Americans in the twentieth century and that public figures are not always as pristine as they appear. The play’s title refers to the perfect Black image and that even during the Civil Rights Movement it was important to have the most positive representation possible so that neither side (Black or White) could use any personal problems to overshadow the more important issue of “Equality for all.†Wilson expressed that President Obama comes off as one of the most perfect African-Americans. However, he is still human and will make mistakes during his tenure; as his supporters we must stand behind him as he gets through these mistakes to better the country.
The fear of exposing one’s dirty laundry, especially on the stage, caused Wilson some grief as she was concerned about enforcing African-American stereotypes (sex addiction), but when informed that audience members, both African-American and Caucasian, found her play to be an “enjoyable, moving experience†she seemed to relax a bit knowing that “Negro†has had a positive effect resonating with viewers both old enough to remember this time and young enough to appreciate the liberties that we have now. During the Q&A session one audience member asked “Is there anything you want us to do [after seeing this play]?†Wilson smiled, responding that this was a good question. “What I hope to leave audiences with is the struggle†that came before us and the fight that these leaders, both men and women, Black & White went through to bring us to this point today. Leaving The Public Theater one will still feel tension, hear the screams and laughter, and absorb the time presented on the slightly furnished wooden stage as “The Good Negro†may be a fictional account yet it is still all too real to be forgotten.
Showing Until Sunday, April 19
Tuesday at 7pm
Wednesday – Friday at 8pm
Saturday at 2pm & 8pm
Sunday at 2pm
No Performance/Unavailable: Thurs 3/26 at 7pm
Post-show Discussions: Tues 3/24 & 3/31
Location: Public Theatre, 425 Lafayette Street,
New York, NY 10003, 212-539-8642
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For more info and to purchase
tickets, click here.
WORDS: Jennifer Baker-Henry
