A Free Man Of Color is boring and preachy. There, I’ve said it. And I really hate to make that judgment about any play, especially one that’s got such talent attached to it. Broadway theater aficionados have waited eighteen years for a new play by John Guare…and this is it?
George C. Wolfe is one of the finest directors of our time, and he does everything possible to make it all work. I get the sense of a Hanukah dreidel being spun ever faster; the second act very nearly crashes into itself with frantic activity.
Jeffrey Wright is an extraordinary actor, but sexy, he is not. Sorry. And at the core of this play is a man so irresistible to women that they are ready to risk all to be bedded by him. What a shame that Brian Stokes Mitchell is otherwise engaged. Unfortunately, if we can’t buy the central figure as the ultimate chick magnet, everything pretty much falls apart. The fact that all the women in this play are one dimensional fools, hookers, or both, doesn’t help matters.
The great John McMartin does the best job possible with the thankless role of an addle-brained Thomas Jefferson. Yes, Mr. Guare, we’re all aware of Sally Hemings and the hypocrisy of his relationship with the slave he owned, but I think to reduce our third president to a bumbling cliché is neither insightful nor historically accurate. It’s just clumsy, and not at all funny.
I always appreciate how much Veanne Cox brings to any part. Next time you watch Erin Brockovich, pay attention to Theresa, the uptight lawyer. This is Cox, once again infusing a stereotypical character with humanity.
I wanted to whoop with joy when I saw that the cast includes Paul Dano, the brilliant young actor from Little Miss Sunshine and There Will Be Blood. Will someone please write this man a play based on the real life of explorer Meriwether Lewis? I want to see this future superstar flesh out his intriguing character.
The real treat of this production is actor Mos, formerly known as Mos Def. I know absolutely nothing about his career as a hip hop artist and rapper, and frankly, I don’t care. Every time I’ve seen him work, I’ve been blown away by his skill, talent, and charm. Check out his Emmy nominated performance in the TV movie Something The Lord Made, and you’ll see what I mean. Why oh why isn’t he playing Cornet instead of Wright? Mos is a guy for whom I can see women (silly though they be) drawn to, like moths to the flame. As it is, I found myself waiting for him to appear on stage as Murmur, a freedom seeking black man who is slave to another black man. I woke up every time.
It must be said that the costumes by Ann Hould-Ward are simply fabulous, and I think I actually own those sparkly gold tights that Wright wears in the first scene. The brocades and velvets are so lush, you can practically feel them from your seat.
Speaking of which, for Heaven’s sake, Lincoln Center, take out some of those damned seats! I’m not a particularly tall woman, and I found myself hugging my knees, and sandwiching my purse vertically between my feet. The rows are too tight, it’s uncomfortable, and I’m sure the fact that I felt so jammed in didn’t help my opinion of the production. The theater was stuffy, too, which may be part of the reason that so many of the seats were vacant for the second act.
Anyway, if you love Restoration drama—or wait, maybe it’s Moliere comedy—no, no, definitely Shakespearean tragedy, the lines in rhyme will probably tickle your fancy. The cast handles the difficult speeches uniformly well.
For the end of the play, do bring a hammer, just in case you need something more to hit you on the head with the message. Wait, let me make sure I’ve got it. Slavery and racism=bad. Screwing around, being an idiot, and all forms of debauchery= good.
Boring the audience into slumber= unforgiveable.
Photo credit: T. Charles Erickson
A Free Man Of Color
Lincoln Center Theater at the Vivian Beaumont
150 West 65th Street, NYC
Through January 9, 2011
Michall Jeffers is an accomplished Cultural Journalist. She writes extensively, both in print and online. Her eponymous cable TV show is syndicated throughout the tri-state area, and features celebrity interviews, reviews, and commentary. She is a voting member of Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, American Theatre Critics Association, International Association of Theatre Critics. www.michalljeffers.com
