Oak Park Newspaper theater reviews

"The Good Negro" stars Teagle F. Bougere as Henry Evans and Billy Eugene Jones as James Lawrence, both tremendously powerful in their portrayals of leaders in the Black push for equality and opportunity in the Southern United States. The writing is based in a large part upon actual FBI files and news of events in the actual times of the struggle for justice.

Historical fiction, mostly in the names of folks being portrayed and in some of the events noted, are put together in a way that almost has a sense of reality TV, though with great acting. The play is very well done, from its simple yet powerful sets with great use of lighting and transitions, to the powerful dialogue of real people in tough times. The Civil Rights era was a time of great change, not only in the South but also the north with its push for equal housing for all residents regardless of color. The FBI under J. Edgar Hoover had its own issues and Hoover was a great vacum for other peoples private doings, which is why he served under a handful of Presidents and no President ever removed him from office or gave him a bad time, because he had info on all of them. Hoover also had a lot of information of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., and he and Hoover are shown with their spirits in this presentation.

The goals are noble and just but the people leading the path are human and profane. The assembly of characters is iconic and torn from the souls of the past. It is the fortitude in the conclusion that gives us a glimpse into how things succeeded in times heated and complex.

This is a wonderful production and worthy of your attention.

The Cast

Teagle F. Bougere as Henry Evans
Billy Eugene Jones as James Lawrence
Dan Waller as Gary Thomas Rowe Jr.
Nambi E. Kelley as Claudette Sullivan
Demetrios Troy as Bill Rutherford
Karen Aldridge as Corinne Lawrence
Mick Weber as Cop 1/Steve Lane
John Hoogenakker as Cop2/Paul Moore
Tory O. Davis as Pelzie Sullivan

IN THE GOOD NEGRO, DIRECTED BY CHUCK SMITH, AT GOODMAN THEATRE (MAY 1 – JUNE 6)

BY AN ALL-STAR DESIGN TEAM, INCLUDING TONY AWARD-NOMINATED RICCARDO HERNANDEZ***

(Chicago, IL) Playwright Tracey Scott Wilson rips through the pages of history in The Good Negro, a “powerfully moving” (The New York Times) and “thunderous new play” (Variety) about the drive for racial equality—and the clash between private ethics and public good. Goodman Resident Director Chuck Smith, who helmed Wilson’s 2005 play The Story at the Goodman, directs this Chicago premiere, featuring a cast of Broadway stars and local favorites. A design team led by Tony Award-nominated Set Designer Riccardo Hernandez brings the production to life using inspiration from the iconic imagery of photojournalist Charles Moore. The Good Negro runs May 1 – June 6, 2010 in the Goodman’s Albert Theatre. Tickets start at $25. In conjunction with this Chicago premiere, WBEZ’s Richard Steele interviews Wilson and Smith for an Artists Talk discussion about The Good Negro on Wednesday, May 5, 6 – 7pm at Goodman Theatre. The Edith-Marie Appleton Foundation is the Major Production Sponsor for The Good Negro; Allstate Insurance Company is the Major Corporate Sponsor; and Bank of America and Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP are the Corporate Sponsor Partners. The Joyce Foundation provides principal support of Artistic Development and Diversity Initiatives. American Airlines is the Exclusive Airline of Goodman Theatre.

Inspired by the personal stories behind the political upheavals of the era, The Good Negro is a fictionalized account of events surrounding the American Civil Rights Movement in 1962. As racial tension mounts in the increasingly hostile South, a powerful trio of black leaders emerge: James Lawrence (Billy Eugene Jones), Henry Evans (Teagle F. Bougere) and Bill Rutherford (Demetrios Troy). In the midst of their private torments—death threats from the Ku Klux Klan, wire taps by the FBI—a shocking public act of intolerance reveals a “good” person to serve as a public face forward in the fight for equality. The Good Negro was first produced during the 2008/2009 season in a collaboration between New York’s The Public Theater and Dallas Theater Center. The previously announced cast for the second production of this new play at Goodman Theatre includes Karen Aldridge as Corinne Lawrence; Tory O. Davis as Pelzie Sullivan; John Hoogenakker as Paul Moore; Nambi E. Kelley as Claudette Sullivan; Dan Waller as Gary Thomas Rowe, Jr.; and Mick Weber as Steve Lane.

“The ‘good negro’ is a reference to the person chosen to represent the Movement—an educated and well-spoken person who could unite both blacks and whites,” said Playwright Tracey Scott Wilson. “The leaders of the Movement weren’t saints, yet every day they made the decision to keep going. To me, that’s inspiration. So I hope I’m honoring these leaders by showing their complexity.”

Hailed as a “singular new voice…that is deeply emotional, deeply intellectual and deeply musical” by The New Yorker, Playwright Tracey Scott Wilson’s previous work includes Order My Steps for Cornerstone Theater Company’s Black Faith/AIDS project in Los Angeles; Exhibit #9, produced by New Perspectives Theatre and Theatre Outrageous; Leader of the People at New Georges Theatre; and The Story, which she is currently adapting for a screen version. Director Chuck Smith is the Resident Director for the Goodman and an associate producer for the Chicago-based touring company Legacy Productions. His previous credits at the Goodman include Ain’t Misbehavin’, the “brilliantly directed” (Daily Herald) Crumbs From the Table of Joy, the Chicago premiere of Proof; the world premieres of By the Music of the Spheres and The Gift Horse; James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner; Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun; and August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

Many of the indelible images of the civil rights struggle during the 1950s and 1960s were captured on film by photojournalist Charles Moore (1931-2010), including photos of black schoolchildren taunted by white picketers, sit-down strikers at a lunch counter and the compelling visage of Martin Luther King. These snapshots among many others are brought to life in The Good Negro by a design team that includes Tony Award-nominated Set Designer Riccardo Hernandez (Broadway’s Parade; Caroline, or Change), Projection Designer Mike Tutaj (TimeLine’s Fiorello!; Tesla’s Letters), Costume Designer Birgit Rattenborg Wise (Goodman’s The Story; Death of a Salesman), Lighting Designer Robert Christen (Goodman’s Ain’t Misbehavin’; Steppenwolf’s Dublin Carol) and Sound Designers Ray Nardelli and Joshua Horvath (Goodman’s Rock ’n’ Roll; Court Theatre’s The Illusion).

WBEZ personality Richard Steele engages playwright Tracey Scott Wilson and director Chuck Smith in a discussion about Wilson’s latest work and the creation of its production at the Goodman on Wednesday, May 5, 6 – 7pm. The Artists Talk series, spearheaded by Theatre Communications Group (TCG) Fellow Julieanne Ehre, connects theater audiences with the artists who bring productions to life at the Goodman in conversations about their process in an intimate environment. Tickets to Artists Talk are $5 (free for subscribers and students) and can be purchased at GoodmanTheatre.org or by calling the Goodman’s Box Office at 312.443.3800.

Moderator Richard Steele hosts Chicago Public Radio’s award-winning weekday newsmagazine Eight Forty-Eight. Steele joined the staff of Chicago Public Radio in 1987, where he has hosted a number of former programs, including The Richard Steele Show, A Richard Steele Friday, Page Two and Performance Space. Prior to joining Chicago Public Radio, Steele hosted many successful Chicago radio programs, including The Morning Connection on WVAZ 102.7 FM and Late Night, a talk and music forum on WGCI 1390 AM. He has hosted popular shows on WBMX 102.7 and WVON 1450 AM, and became “The Real Steele” on WGRT (950 AM) AM, where he progressed to program director shortly after the station's transition to WJPC 950 AM. He is vice president and board member of the local American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and a board member of the Chicago Association of Black Journalists. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Steele attended Harold Washington College in Chicago and resides in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago.

Tickets to The Good Negro start at $25 and are on sale now. Call 312.443.3800, click GoodmanTheatre.org or visit the box office (170 North Dearborn). Mezztix are half-price mezzanine tickets available at 12 noon at the box office, and at 10am online (promo code MEZZTIX) day of performance; Mezztix are not available by telephone. 10Tix are $10 mezzanine tickets for students available at 12 noon at the box office, and at 10am online on the day of performance; 10Tix are not available by telephone. Valid student I.D. must be presented when picking up the tickets. Limit four per student with I.D. All tickets are subject to availability and handling fees apply. Discounted Group Tickets for 10 persons or more are available at 312.443.3820.

Currently on stage is the world premiere of A True History of the Johnstown Flood by Rebecca Gilman, directed by Robert Falls (through April 18; Albert Theatre). Upcoming productions in the 2009/2010 Season include: The Sins of Sor Juana by Karen Zacarías, directed by Henry Godinez (June 19 – July 25; Albert Theatre) which launches the Goodman’s 5^th Latino Theatre Festival (offerings to be announced April 15).

The upcoming 2010/2011 Season celebrates ten years in Goodman Theatre’s home on Dearborn Street—and a decade of great accomplishments. Productions in this special season include Candide, music by Leonard Bernstein, book adapted from Voltaire by Hugh Wheeler, lyrics by Richard Wilbur, additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, John Latouche, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker and Leonard Bernstein, directed by Mary Zimmerman (September 2010; Albert Theatre); The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, directed by Robert Falls (October 2010; Owen Theatre), the world premiere of Rain by Regina Taylor (January 2011; Albert Theatre); the world premiere of Mary by Thomas Bradshaw, directed by May Adrales (February 2011; Owen Theatre); the world premiere of Stage Kiss by Sarah Ruhl (April 2011; Albert Theatre); and the world premiere of Chinglish by David Henry Hwang, directed by Leigh Silverman and produced in association with The Public Theater (June 2011; Albert Theatre). Two plays in the 2010/2011 Season—one in the Albert and one in the Owen—are still to be announced.

Named the country’s “Best Regional Theatre” by Time magazine (2003), Goodman Theatre is a leader in the American theater, internationally recognized for its artists, productions and educational programs since its founding in 1925. Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer’s forward-thinking leadership has earned the Goodman unparalleled artistic distinction, garnered hundreds of awards—including the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre (1992) and Pulitzer Prizes for Ruined by Lynn Nottage and Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet—and moved dozens of plays from Chicago to stages in New York and abroad. Central to its commitment to the reinvestigation of classics and development of new plays and artists is the Goodman’s Artistic Collective, including Brian Dennehy, Frank Galati, Henry Godinez, Steve Scott, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor and Mary Zimmerman. The largest not-for-profit theater in Chicago, the Goodman moved in 2000 into a state-of-the-art complex which houses two principal theaters: the 856-seat Albert Ivar Goodman Theatre and the 400-seat flexible Owen Bruner Goodman Theatre. Board Chairman is Patricia Cox and Karen Pigott is President of the Women’s Board. American Airlines is the Exclusive Airline of Goodman Theatre.