Stellar cast explores the destructive power of racial stereotypes
I saw The Shipment with two companions and we left the theater asking each other, "What did we just see? What was the author saying?" This play, written by Young Jean Lee, a Korean-American playwright, director and filmmaker, is designed not just to entertain but also give your brain some stimulation and your eyes some admiration for the work being done on stage.
Directed by Wardell Julius Clark, and assisted by Sydney Charles, the pace of the action is quick and sharp. In the first of a series of scenes, it opens with a minstrel show, Black performers, dancing and singing, happy and enjoying life, almost robot-like, a stereotype often fostered by white performers in blackface to give a white audience laughs and assurances that Black people were happy, singing and dancing. But not very bright.
Next up were the dealers in drugs, conducting their business as usual with gunplay and murder. Another stereotype played out on television and films for us. Following that came the in-your-face, black, angry stand-up comedian with his dirty mouth speaking sex, drugs and obscenities, talking about the world and the White folk he sees in it.
Then a scene with three characters, done in silence for the greater part of the action that hushes the audience to the point you can hear the proverbial pin drop. Standing motionless on their raised platform, locking eyes with each member of the audience, one can feel the hate of the slaves, standing on the block at a wharf in Charleston, South Carolina, or at the slave auction in New Orleans. Powerful!
I won't spoil the ending but the last scene, a stereotype of another kind, became the clincher for me and my companions, and the last line is one that stayed with us as we walked down the street to our car. It will stay with you as well.
"Bravo" and a deserved standing ovation goes to the players Sheldon Brown, Hunter Bryant, Eric Gerard, Marcus D. Moore and Kiayla Ryann. They're a talented ensemble and there's never a false note in their performances.
I find it marvelous that behind-the-scenes support can be so creative and add so much pleasure to the viewer. Case in point: working in a very confined space, choreographer Breon Arzell created movement for his characters that supported the dialogue, and sometimes no dialogue. Movement and perhaps even no movement were effective. A malleable set design by Joy Ahn provides space for the production to bloom, and sensitive lighting by Daniel Friedman support the mood to perfection. And behind the scenes, stage manager Michelle Altman and her assistant, Chris Wayne Lyons, keep the action running smoothly. My advice? Don't miss this!
The Shipment continues through October 13th at The Ready, 4546 N. Western Ave. (map), with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays 7pm. Tickets are free, but should be reserved online through EventBrite.com More information at RedTapeTheatre.org. (Running time: 70 minutes without intermission)
behind the scenes
Wardell Julius Clark (director), Sydney Charles (associate director, music director), Kyle Land (producer), Jenn Thompson (line producer, production manager), Max Truax (artistic director), Michelle Altman (stage manager), Chris Lyons (asst. stage manager), Breon Arzell (choreography), (scenic design), Daniel Friedman (lighting design), Jennifer Wernau (prop design), Rachel Sypniewski (costume design), John Nichols III (sound design), Bridget Schultz (poster design), (photos)
Tags: 18-0906, Austin Oie, Breon Arzell, Bridget Schultz, Chicago Theater, Chris Lyons, Daniel Friedman, Duane Barnes, Eric Gerard, Hunter Bryant, Jenn Thompson, Jennifer Wernau, John Nichols III, Joy Ahn, Kiayla Ryann, Kyle Land, Marcus D. Moore, Max Truax, Michelle Altman, post, Rachel Sypniewski, Red Tape Theatre, Sheldon Brown, Sydney Charles, The Ready, Wardell Julius Clark, Young Jean Lee
Category: 2018 Reviews, Duane Barnes, Red Tape Theatre, The Ready
