| Thurgood |
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| Written by Michael Portantiere | |
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Thurgood  Laurence Fishburne in THURGOOD; photo by Carol Rosegg Written by George Stevens, Jr. and directed by Leonard Foglia, the play tells the fascinating story of Thurgood Marshall, who rose from humble beginnings on the back streets of Baltimore to become the first African American appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States. This is a one-man show, but don't let that scare you; the writing is so excellent, and Fishburne's portrayal so gripping, that the 90-minute piece flies by in what seems half that time. The set-up of the play is that the elderly Marshall is giving a speech at Howard University Law School in Washington, D.C. The first sight of Fishburne in makeup and costume may cause his fans to gasp; he's white-haired, he seems to have been padded to simulate Marshall's girth, and he walks with a cane. But as this wonderfully well written monologue proceeds, Fishburne as Marshall becomes rejuvenated. Proclaiming that “the law is my weapon,” he abandons the cane and speaks with great wisdom, passion, and humor about his extraordinary life. Countless films, plays, and television shows have demonstrated that legal issues can be excellent fodder for drama when properly presented, and Thurgood reaffirms this fact. You can feel the audience holding its collective breath as Fishburne's Marshall recounts the back stories of the two most famous civil rights cases in Supreme Court history, Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education. But, as noted above, the play is also suffused with humor. Indeed, in its final pages, it contains a joke so hilarious -- and so skillfully delivered by Fishburne -- that the theater explodes with laughter. Featuring simple but effective set design by Allen Moyer, costumes by Jane Greenwood, lighting by Brian Nason, and projection design by Elaine J. McCarthy, Thurgood is the least elaborate yet one of the best shows now on Broadway, proving the old saw that all you really need for great theater is a board and a passion. Of course, it helps if you also have a great script -- and one has been supplied by George Stevens, Jr., well known as a producer, director, and founder of the American Film Institute but here making his smashingly successful debut as a playwright. We can only hope that this first effort won't be his last. Fishburne was terrific in the late August Wilson's Two Trains Running but stumbled with his performance as Henry II of England in the Roundabout Theatre Company's 1999 revival of The Lion in Winter. It's great to have him back on Broadway at the top of his form, in a new play that's fully worthy of his talent. |
