PLAY TITLE: Thurgood
PLAYWRIGHT: George Stevens, Jr.
OPENING YEAR: 2006
GENRE: Historical One-Man Show
MATURE CONTENT: Racial Slurs
GRADE: Extra Credit
Thurgood Marshall reflects on his life from impoverished
beginnings to becoming a well-known civil rights activist and Supreme Court
justice. His budding wisdom was needed more than ever since he grew up during
the Jim Crow era, when racism against black Americans came in the form of
lynching, segregation, and an instilled feeling of inferiority. Through poignant
debating skills, tireless research, and undying commitment to his cause,
Thurgood Marshall paved the way for younger generations of black Americans by
giving them a sense of pride and urgency. They need it now more than ever in
the wake of Trump’s presidency, police brutality, and the rise of the
alternative right.
I saw this play on February 25th, 2018 and the
actor who played Thurgood was spot-on in his performance that afternoon. He
spoke with candid authority, undying passion, and an encyclopedic knowledge of
the law. When he said that the law will be his only weapon, you believed him,
not just because of beforehand research, but because it felt organic coming out
of this actor’s mouth. There were a few times when he stumbled over his words,
but he was able to pick himself back up and keep going with his oratory as if
nothing slowed him down. Even if you had the attention span of a five year old,
you’d still be laser focused on this one-man show.
The actor’s body language was every bit as poignant as his
debating skills and speech patterns. He recalled one time when he worked as a
waiter in a predominantly white café. The way he served his racist customer’s
food and danced around all smiles was the perfect mask for hiding his anger on
the inside. He knew being constantly called the N-word was wrong, but he put up
with it because he was getting twenty dollar tips during a time when he was
flat broke. It wasn’t until after being fired by his black boss that he
realized there were more important things in this world than money. That’s a
lesson we all need to learn if we’re to move forward. If you’re not paying
attention to this lesson, you’re already waiting to be screwed.
But even the Murphy’s Law-style life story and emotional
acting couldn’t prepare me for the doll comparison angle. When arguing against
segregation, Thurgood had two dolls on the bench: a white doll and a black
doll. He recalled research where he asked children questions like, “Which doll
would you like to play with?”, “Which doll is better looking?” and “Which doll
is evil?” The black children answered positively for the white doll and
negatively for the black doll. That broke my goddamn heart. Taking self-esteem
away from children no matter what color is disgusting as hell. But without this
heart-wrenching scene, Thurgood wouldn’t have been able to make a strong case
against Plessey vs. Ferguson
We need this kind of peak-performance acting in today’s
far-right society. We need this kind of inspiration. We need this kind of
message. I have no idea when this one-man play will be performed again, but if
your city is hosting it, go see it without missing a beat. Even for those who
are already on the correct side of history, your eyes will be opened much wider
than before. Thurgood Marshall did a lot for this country, but we still have a
long way to go until we reach perfect harmony. An extra credit grade will go to
this excellently-acted show with an undeniable message.
