Thurgood (The SOB Review) - Booth Theatre, New York, NY
*** (out of ****)As I've professed in this space many a time, I love history. Not necessarily because I'm particularly fond of what I've learned, but because of the sense of discovery in finding out the who, what, why and how for events that have changed the course of human existence.
My affinity for learning about our past came about by a stroke of luck back in the sixties during my second grade year, thanks to the classroom configuration my school used. It was at that time that my class shared a school room with first and third graders. Curiously, whenever the third graders were receiving their history lessons, I found myself sitting up and taking notice. In fact, I couldn't wait until the following school year when I, too, could take the class.
Of course, during that same decade, a gifted Baltimore attorney had risen to the top court in the United States.
Thurgood Marshall was continuing to help shape the annals of our collective American experience just as he had in the early fifties when he overcame all expectations in successfully arguing the landmark
Brown vs. the Board of Education before the
Supreme Court.
But in 1967, two years before I sat up and took notice of the concept of history itself, President
Lyndon Johnson took notice and made history by appointing his then
Solicitor General to the highest court as its first African American member; Marshall would go on to serve on the Supreme Court until two years before his death in 1993.
Now, fifteen years later -- as we approach the centenary of Marshall's birth -- a fairly powerful and ever thoughtful examination of this powerhouse attorney-turned-leading jurist has come to the Broadway stage. In the one-man show
Thurgood, written by
George Stevens, Jr. and directed by
Leonard Foglia,
Laurence Fishburne becomes Marshall in his twilight years lecturing before an assembly at Washington's
Howard University about his many contributions to American jurisprudence.
The focus of Stevens' script is primarily devoted to Marshall's exposition over the key cases he's argued. While these personal anecdotes provide an often riveting array of the seemingly insurmountable and harrowing -- even life-threatening -- odds he faced, there are few insights into his personal life beyond scant references to meeting his first wife Vivian "Buster" Burey and her untimely death in 1955 -- which he concedes was devastating to him -- along with his subsequent marriage to Cecilia Suyat.
Fishburne expertly nails the demeanor of Thurgood Marshall, even resembling him at times. This fine actor lends a gentle sense of humor and gravitas to the man who arguably had the biggest hands-on impact in the battle for equality and civil rights among all Americans during the 20th Century. If there is a quibble with Fishburne's solo performance -- at least during the one I took in last Sunday afternoon -- it's that he frequently stumbles over his lines. Nevertheless, and more importantly, Fishburne captures the essence of Marshall and ensures that this American patriot will not soon be forgotten.
As George Santayana once said, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” As a student of history, I'm thrilled that this inspiring
Thurgood is bringing together black and white audiences in one place not only to share in learning from our collective past, but also so that we'll never forget from whence we came.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
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Critics Render Verdicts On Thurgood (May 1, 2008)
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Labels: Broadway, George Stevens Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Leonard Foglia, Play, The SOB Review, Thurgood, Thurgood Marshall
Critics Render Verdicts On ThurgoodLast evening,
Thurgood -- the one-hander play about America's 96th
Supreme Court Justice by
George Stevens, Jr. that stars
Laurence Fishburne in the title role -- opened at Broadway's
Booth Theatre with
Leonard Foglia at the helm. Critics have made their decisions on the work known.
Praising Fishburne as someone "who knows how to burnish a piece of exposition until it shines,"
Marilyn Stasio of
Variety is largely on the side of the effort: "Fishburne is such an imposing stage presence (even hunched over a cane, he exudes strength) that it's a bit of a shock to register the full range and texture of that narrative voice. Folksy like a fox, he adopts an avuncular tone that shouldn't fool us chickens -- but does, all the same -- into following him wherever he leads this tale."
Proclaiming that "all bio-dramas should be as vivid and entertaining as
Thurgood,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News offers three out of five stars: "Not every transition is graceful, but the 90-minute show moves smoothly enough as directed by Leonard Foglia.... Fishburne is magnetic as Marshall.... He captures the justice's drive and everyday essence as well as his wry -- if sometimes crass -- wit."
Calling the play "a predictable but engrossing tour of Marshall's accomplishments,"
Eric Grode of
The New York Sun is mixed: "Mr. Foglia succumbs to every trapping of tasteful biography, from obvious sound effects to
Elaine J. McCarthy's sepia-toned projections to the applause-triggering punch lines that accompany each legal victory.... Luckily, Mr. Fishburne is able to supply some of the missing complexities. He holds back the full depths of his velvety baritone at first, letting the unseasoned young lawyer grow into his own voice as his confidence grows.... There's a sensual intensity to the way he applies his girth, his intelligence, and his piercing moral clarity to push the law in the right direction."
Rendering
Thurgood as a "no-frills documentary in the first person, essentially an opportunity to watch a movie star deliver a history lecture,"
Charles Isherwood of
The New York Times offers a mixed verdict, saying the show "is surprisingly absorbing, at times even stirring.... [Y]ou may find this superficially dry evening of theater as restorative as a long soak in a bubble bath....
Thurgood is not distinguished by psychological depth or dramatic intensity, although it has been given a tasteful production by the director, Leonard Foglia.... The role does not allow Mr. Fishburne to draw deeply on his rich resources as an actor, even if it requires significant stamina."
Concluding that "Quite simply, a little less might have meant a lot more,"
New York Post's
Clive Barnes renders two-and-a-half out of four stars: "through Stevens' one-man play and Fishburne's carefully layered, wholly convincing performance, I discovered a great deal more about that solitary, benignly wise figure who featured at the time in dozens of photographs of the nation's Supreme Court.... Most of what he has to tell is admirable yet predictable.... [W]ile it's undoubtedly a triumph for Fishburne, there is only one character, one tone, and neither tension nor climax."
Noting "the major limitations and the good intentions in the solo biography,"
Newsday's
Linda Winer is even more judgmental: "Given his credentials and those of director Leonard Foglia ... we keep hoping for something more theatrical and original than this standard-issue, broad-stroke, one-man bio.... Fishburne ... also stumbled over the lines a few times at Friday's preview. Considering the amount of repetition in the storytelling, who could blame him?"
With can only be judged as a somewhat disappointing critical response, will the box office for
Thurgood be able to hang on the the 60%+ capacity it's currently attracting during its limited run? We'll have to wait for the audiences to be the final judge.
I'll be taking in a performance shortly and will offer my own verdict shortly thereafter.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Fishburne Marshalls In Broadway Opening Night For Thurgood (April 30, 2008)
36 Down, 3 To Go (April 12, 2008)
Seafarer Set To Sail Out Of Broadway Berth (January 30, 2008)
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, George Stevens Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Leonard Foglia, Play, Thurgood
Fishburne Marshalls In Broadway Opening Night For ThurgoodNearly 100 years after the July 2, 1908 birth of America's first African-American
Supreme Court Justice
Thurgood Marshall, celebrated actor
Laurence Fishburne brings his fresh interpretation of this great attorney-cum-jurist to life on Broadway.
Under the direction of
Leonard Foglia,
Thurgood is a one-man show written by
George Stevens, Jr. The play opens at Rialto's
Booth Theatre for a limited engagement running through July 20.
Thurgood is
described as:
...the remarkable and triumphant story of Thurgood Marshall, who rose from a childhood in the back-street of Baltimore to the Supreme Court of the United States. Along the way, Mr. Marshall overcame many adversities but through them all, remained focused and positive to maintain the great country he wanted to serve. And did. Thurgood brings to the stage the words, the wit, the tenacity and the wisdom of one of America's greatest Heroes.
Given the dramatic impact that Marshall had on 20th Century America, whether it was in successfully arguing the landmark
Brown v. Board of Education before the Supreme Court in 1954 or being appointed by
President Lyndon Johnson to the nation's highest court on June 13, 1967 where he served until his death in 1993, will a one-man show adequately portray this American giant in a compelling case?
Stay tuned tomorrow as I provide my critics' capsule.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:36 Down, 3 To Go (April 12, 2008)
Seafarer Set To Sail Out Of Broadway Berth (January 30, 2008)
Labels: Broadway, George Stevens Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Leonard Foglia, Opening Night, Play, Supreme Court, Thurgood, Thurgood Marshall
