The Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning play, Clybourne Park,
is receiving an uneven production at the Music Theatre of Connecticut
(MTC). The show, a well-constructed comedy/drama, is split into two
Acts. The first part of the play mines the field of racial attitudes
from the perspective of a Black family looking to move into an all-White
neighborhood. In Act II, taking place 50 years later, the reverse is
happening. In both circumstances, playwright Bruce Norris unfurrows
viewpoints and convictions that are, sadly, still prevalent today.
While segments of the MTC staging can be riveting, primarily the latter
half of Act I, the show is undercut from some ineffective performances
and an Act II which can be confusing and not as well-rendered.
In Act I, which takes place in 1959, we are introduced to Bev and
Russ, a white, middle-class couple who reside in the Clybourne section
of Chicago. They are moving, not far away, and have sold their house to
a Black couple. Soon, their home is visited by Jim, the local priest,
and neighbors Karl Lindner and his wife, Betsy. Karl’s missions is
simple – he wants to convince Bev and Russ not to sell their home,
worrying about falling property values. Tempers flare and arguments
ensue about racism as well as neighborhood values and caring (Russ and
Bev’s son was shunned when he returned from the Korean War). Drawn into
the fray is the homeowner’s Black housekeeper and her husband.
In Act II, the time is now 50 years in the future. The same cast,
in different roles, are sitting in folding chairs in the decaying living
room of the same home from Act I. In the intervening years, the
Clybourne section has become an all-Black neighborhood, but is now
becoming gentrified. A white couple, Steve and Lindsey, want to tear
down the structure and build a larger house. The Black couple – Lena
and Kevin - from the housing board are trying to negotiate with them as
the lawyers Kathy and Tom attempt to mediate the discussion, which soon
becomes heated and breaks down into arguments and accusations centering
on racism and political correctness. As with Act I, the second half of
the show concludes with characters exiting the stage, battered and
nowhere near a resolution.
Playwright Bruce Norris has craftily constructed Clybourne Park with a nod to Lorraine Hansberry’s classic work, A Raisin in the Sun. For example, the Black family referenced in Act I are the Youngers. Karl, is also a character in Raisin.
In addition, Lena from the Housing Board is related to the Younger’s
and doesn’t want the memory-filled home razed. The scenes in Act I
aptly capture the changes and self-generating strife white neighborhoods
were undergoing. The acrimony portrayed in Act II are, distressingly,
still of the moment. Overall, the dialog is smart, snappy and full of
rancorous exchanges.
As staged by Director Pamela Hill, the show takes some time getting
into high gear but, once it does, the tension during the first half of
the play is palatable in the small MTC theater. Ms. Hill is less
successful in building up to the dramatic conflicts that ended in Act
I. As the conversations begin in Act II, it was somewhat difficult
understanding roles. There was less fluidity to the flow of the
action. Sometimes performers would be talking over each other and
hurrying through their lines as opposed to utilizing a more judicious
use of pauses to heighten the growing hostility on stage.
Overall, the cast could have a stronger stage presence. Many of
them have a quiet fortitude, which does set the scene for the latter
fireworks in both Acts I and II, but the understated portrayals lessen
the power of the work. Susan Haefner is a bit restrained in her roles
of Bev/Kathy. Frank Mastrone’s Russ is also somewhat subdued even
though his underlying resentment and anger eventually erupts just before
intermission. Nick Roesler, who plays Karl in Act I, gives a powerful,
full-in performance during the first half of the show. His relentless
rantings were forceful and effective. As Steve, in Act II, while still
the tempest in the teapot, his diatribes were less compelling. Allie
Seibold drifts through Act I as Betsy, but is more vocal and successful
as Lindsey in the latter part of the play. Rae Janeil is appropriately
proper as the domestic, Francine, in Act I, but shows a fiery spirit as
Lena in Act II. SJ Hannah is respectful and assured as Albert in Act I,
but the actor demonstrates he is not one to back away from his
principles. His portrayal of Kevin in Act II is fine, but more
perfunctory. Matt Mancuso’s portrayal of Father Jim in Act I is
somewhat off for a person that should be able to handle conflict and
mediation. As the lawyer, Tom, in Act II, he is rather muted.
Scenic Designer Martin Scott Marchitto has forged two spare, but
suitable sets. For Act I, a dispiriting living room full of moving
boxes; for Act II, a decaying, sparsely furnished space.
Clybourne Park, playing at the Music Theatre of Connecticut through November 19. Click here for dates, times, and ticket information.
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