True to form, Chicago-based playwright David Mamet has created an intense, incendiary play, simply titled Race,now playing at Milwaukee’s Next Act Theater. As directed by Edward Morgan, the play’s tension begins to build almost from the opening lines.
The drama takes place in the law office of two partners, one white and one black. They are asked to take the case of a wealthy white man accused of raping a younger black woman. From the beginning, both men have doubts about accepting this client. The entire case is – they agree – a “no win” situation. Past experience tells them that trying to find an impartial jury would be almost impossible, given the racially charged circumstances.
“What can a white person tell a black person about race?” asks Henry Brown (Lee Palmer), the black partner. “Nothing,” replies his white partner, Jack Lawson (David Cecsarini, the company’s producing artistic director). The show’s third lawyer, a young, attractive black assistant named Susan (Tiffany Renee Johnson), also weighs in on the topic. “How many times have we seen this before?” she notes, referring to the assault of a black woman by a white man.
Race is not Mamet’s best play, but it’s certainly one that gets the audience thinking about its own beliefs on the topic. The show ran on Broadway in 2009, playing at the Ethel Barrymore Theater. Several regional companies also have launched productions. It seems like a perfect fit for the thought-provoking Next Act Theater.
In Milwaukee, a terrific casting move led seasoned actor Jonathan Smoots to play the accused rapist. Smoots, tall and lanky, excels at playing the non-threatening type of character. He doesn’t come across as a bully or a snob, yet his dialogue sometimes indicates otherwise. As Charles Strickland, Smoots seems genuinely hurt by the black woman’s accusations. Further investigation reveals that he and this woman had an ongoing affair. “It was consensual,” Strickland pleads, though again, subsequent evidence might indicate otherwise.
Mamet injects a great deal of irony into the play, and he also takes a fierce jab at the legal profession, as well. As Jack Lawson, Cecsarini makes some convincing points about turning the courtroom into a theater, where the winning “vote” goes to the side that puts on the better show. His character has some ideas about doing a demonstration that may put enough doubt in the audience’s mind to free their client by eliminating the subject of race altogether. (Some neat plot twists put an unexpected end to his plan before it gets off the ground.)
All the characters reveal their good and bad points: in addition to the cynical Lawson, Lee Palmer injects a good deal of anger into the proceedings. In one of the previously mentioned ironic twists, it was he, not Lawson, who argued against hiring Susan. One isn’t sure why Lawson was so quick to override his partner’s advice. Upon reflection, he wonders whether he made the offer to Susan in order to make himself feel good. In any case, the liberal-minded Lawson was eager to jump-start the career of a black woman. Previously, Lawson has mentioned that both sides of the case will use “whatever leverage they have” to make the jury rule in their favor. Little did he realize that Susan already was taking that message to heart. Race asks tough questions, but it doesn’t give easy answers.
Adding to the production’s efforts is a convincing set that demonstrates the status these lawyers have gained over many years. Costumes are on the mark, as well, creating the proper professional attire one might find in an established law office.
