The front of the plantation is a large image which is tilted forward from the stage at the Flea Theater. At the start of Southern Promises, the audience leans in to a conversation between the master and his wife. On his death bed, he now concludes that the abolitionists are right. Slavery is a mortal sin and a blight on our civilization. He has changed his will to emancipate all of his slaves after he passes. It does not take long until the Mrs. changes that plan. She has different desires entirely.
Thomas Bradshaw’s incendiary 2008 play is being revived with “POC” casting, as in People of Color. In a thoughtful prelude, the cast introduces themselves, speaking about the contradictions and considerations of being non-white individuals performing in all sides of this story. An interesting angle is presented. If a person is half white and half black, which role are they most suited for? Are there new insights to be gained from this production?
Influenced by The Great Escapes: Four Slave Narratives, some of the dialogue is lifted from those writings. The play is relentless in its depiction of predictable atrocities including, rape, whipping, forced nudity and murder. The in-your-face depiction is likely why this play was considered so provocative. America’s existence is still marred by this history. I’m not convinced that Southern Promises is a revival that accomplishes anything more than theatrical shocks, however.
There is a contemporary feel to Director Niegel Smith’s staging such as the choice of music for the interludes. Some of the cast has southern accents, others do not. As written and performed, the play telegraphs every scene so you know exactly what is going to happen, crushing any sense of dramatic storytelling. There are some impressive visuals for sure but the odd contradictions and decreasingly believable storyline neutralize the power of the subject matter.
A brother of the deceased is a preacher from New York who comes to visit and believes “abolition is the worse thing for these niggers!” With freedom, “they drink all day and look for white women to rape at night.” This play speaks frankly and roughly throughout. In the same scene, the house slaves of the plantation sneak sips of mint juleps behind their master’s back. Benjamin is the mild-mannered type but is directed to chug-a-lug like a buffoon before he is caught. Huh?
The hypocrisy of the religious smears its ugliness all over this play. This theme allowed this material to shine a harshly critical spotlight on people who justify their actions with the simple phrase, “it’s God’s will.” The prayer scenes, however, are overlong and exaggerated. Rather than coming across as disturbingly devout and sadly delusional, the villains appear clownish. If this entire play was staged as edgy farce, that might make sense.
The last few scenes of the play strain credibility and Southern Promises looses its dramatic focus. I have experienced so many exceptional theater pieces over the last five years where I had to face our troubled racist history and its import today. The segregated theme park in 3/Fifths. Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Fairview and Marys Seacole. An Octoroon and Underground Railroad Game. Even the improbable comedy Plantation! at Lookingglass Theater Company in Chicago.
When the Kansas’ song “Carry On My Wayward Son” transitioned one of the scenes, I wondered if the choice was meant to be funny. There are moments in Southern Promises that are memorable. There are definitely scenes that are shocking, as intended. Without a consistent tone, the subject matter gets diluted and grinds to an anticlimactic finish. This revival does not make a case for the play as important as the troubled history it wants us to aggressively confront.
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