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Herbert Wolff Reviews "American Son" At Barrington Stage

Leave it to Julianne Boyd…founder and Artistic Director of Barrington Stage Company…to make her mark early in the summer theater season – a tradition that audiences in and around Pittsfield, Massachusetts, have enjoyed throughout the decade since she resettled her regional company there.

Last June it was Man of La Mancha…in June 2013, a revival of On the Town that went on to Broadway.  These and many other season-openers have been masterfully executed into memorable productions.

Similarly this year, Barrington Stage has begun summer with play that deserves to be seen and heard.  But, there’s no song and dance in this show.  American Son – commissioned by the theater and now having its world premier – is altogether serious.   The work was authored by Christopher Demos-Brown, an award-winning playwright based in Miami.  It is directed by Ms. Boyd.

The setting is a waiting room in a Miami police station, just after four o’clock in the morning.  A smartly dressed African-American woman, Kendra Ellis-Conner – superbly portrayed by actress Tamara Tunie – is alone on stage.  She has been waiting more than a half-hour…growing increasingly agitated as she texts and telephones about her 18-year-old son’s unspecified automobile “incident” that has brought her there.

Junior Officer Larkin – expertly played by Luke Smith – enters after a few minutes.  Something of a “non-dialogue” ensues between the two.  Kendra comes across as swift of mind and word, as she insists on finding out what has happened to her son and his car.  Officer Larkin matches her nervousness but not her verbal sparring skills.  She has a PhD, after all, and is a college professor; Larkin may be on his first job, very aware of his low rank, and departmental protocol.  Only a senior officer can provide details...and such an officer should be there within an hour.

He tries, “Meanwhile, can I offer you some coffee and donuts?”  She demands, “Is my son all right, or hurt?”  Officer Larkin hides behind protocol, and exits.

Scott Connor, Kendra’s husband – in a fine portrayal by Michael Hayden – eventually arrives.  He is white and works law enforcement; they live in an upscale Miami neighborhood and have spent a fortune on their son Jamal’s private schooling.  The couple has recently separated…and each is instinctively hostile to the other about their past, the break-up, parenting decisions, and their son’s present life and future.

There is suspense…tension…blame…insightful thought and delivery.

We – the general public -- tend to know about these encounters only through media coverage.  We can’t sense the tensions so expertly projected on stage.  The senior officer arrives, and the questions are answered.  The drama unfolds in actual time, 80 minutes, with no intermission.

The play is about achievement and pressure, parenting and policing, rebellion, and the lasting effects of racism.  

As we leave the theatre, we may ask ourselves: if it were our son, would an offer of coffee and donuts ease our anxiety.

American Son plays now through July 9th at Barrington Stage Company, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Herbert Wolff studied under the guidance of Lee Strasberg and subsequently had roles with summer theater companies in upstate New York and on live television. He is former vice president of International Television Association and former Chairman of Massachusetts Advisory Council on Scientific and Technical Education. Herb continues to write, direct and appear in stage plays. For over 25 years he has been an on-air reviewer of theater and opera productions for WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.

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