Birmingham, Ala.'s prejudiced politics of the 1960s and their personal repercussions are brought to life in Tracey Scott Wilson's 'The Good Negro,' currently on stage at the Boston Center for the Arts Plaza Theater. Company One's production under Summer L. Williams' direction is both violent and touching, as the characters risk what they consider most dear for what they believe in.
While obviously based on the events surrounding the civil rights movement, the production's fictional plot has an essence of its own. 'The Good Negro' dodges the limitations of historical accuracy and recreates the violence and fear prevalent in Birmingham in 1962.
The play also closely scrutinizes and fictionalizes the personal life and complicated relationships of the movement's leaders. Elements of the lives of Martin Luther King, Jr. and some of his fellow civil rights leaders such as Ralph Abernathy, Fred Shuttlesworth and Bayard Rustin are apparent in the show, but the lives of these men are edited and reorganized to create new, but equally powerful characters.
The production opens with the shocking and brutal beating of Claudette Sullivan (Marvelyn Mcfarlane). Claudette breaks the law when she lets her four'minus;year'minus;old black daughter use the 'white only' restroom in a Birmingham store. It is a small, seemingly innocent act that unleashes all the cruelty associated with the Jim Crow era.
At that point, the heart of the civil rights movement resides in Birmingham, led by the inspirational and respected James Lawrence (Jonathan L. Dent) and his close friend Henry Evans (Cliff Odle), a passionate individual and egomaniac. Lawrence and Evans decide to expose the violent and unreasonable treatment of Claudette and her daughter Shelley in order to fuel the movement, a decision that affects everyone involved personally and ends with undesirable consequences.
Amid the rioting and chaos is the extremely organized and adorable Bill Rutherford (Cedric Lilly), who flew from Geneva to join the movement with Lawrence and Evans.
Rutherford arrives in Birmingham with smiles and enthusiasm, only to find a disorganized campaign and worn'minus;out volunteers. Lilly is touching in his portrayal of the seemingly fragile, yet determined Rutherford. While often the subject of scorn from Evans, Rutherford becomes perhaps the most loved character in the performance. Of all the civil rights activists, Rutherford remains the most innocent, and is therefore a beacon of morality, that guides both Lawrence and the movement.
But despite Rutherford's ideals, it is Claudette's husband, Pelzie (James Milord), who exhibits the most wisdom. Milord is surprising in his performance as he slowly develops Pelzie's character. Pelzie's initial gruff manner and bad grammar make him seem undesirable to the activists as an icon for the movement. After losing his job and facing much more adversity, Pelzie's pain and loss force him to experience and understand the worst of Jim Crow, segregation and the hate that upholds both practices.
The work of the FBI and the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) parallels the progression of the civil rights movement as the two march forward to their inevitable clash. Scott's script beautifully matches fear with its source when Lawrence and Gary Thomas Rowe, Jr.(Greg Maraio), a KKK member and FBI informant, give overlapping speeches to their contrasting audiences. At this moment, both men are speaking for what they believe in, but with extremely different intentions; it is a scene that simultaneously reveals humankind's ability to love and hate.
The set for the performance is simple, yet startlingly intimate. Wooden benches, FBI corkboards filled up with a collage of information on Lawrence's life and a spare chair here and there make up the few objects on the set, leaving it up to the actors to set their own stage and create their own environments. A movie screen in the background shows footage in black and white, helping to link the fictional storyline with the feel of a historical event.
'The Good Negro' gives a humble and honest perspective of both sides of the movement, revealing faults and human weaknesses. The story is both heart'minus;wrenching and hopeful, and provides a glance at what the civil rights movement meant to those fighting for it.
Company One's production of 'The Good Negro' is running until Feb. 6 at the Boston Center for the Arts Plaza Theater with performances every day except Monday and Tuesday.
