Review: THURGOOD at Irish Classical Theatre

American History, Civil Rights, Black History and theatrical drama are magically melding on stage in the one act play THURGOOD that is playing at Buffalo's Irish Classical Theatre.

Thurgood Marshall was the first black man to hold many important political appointments, but his accent to Supreme Court Justice was monumental. The 2017 film MARSHALL, filmed in Buffalo, tackled some of this great man's career and now Buffalo has a chance to hear and see his story up close.

With a legal career that started in 1933, Marshall fought for civil rights, equal educational opportunities for all, and was an active member of NAACP. He rallied to ensure "separate but equal" education truly meant equal, when in actuality equality was rarely achieved. He championed equal education from the outset in primary school all the way to Law Schools.

Author George Stevens Jr has written a 90 minute play that requires an actor to inhabit the stage alone and continuously. No small feat for any actor. Sometimes it was hard to remember that this one man show was really a play. The intimacy with which the story is told created such a bond between actor and audience that it felt more like a historical lecturer retelling his own autobiography. We learn of family struggles and an education that was rarely afforded to black men.

Brian Marable turns in a winning performance on all fronts as Thurgood Marshall. There is no doubt this gentleman has done his homework. In an after performance talkback he recalled the numerous videos he watched of the Supreme Court Justice in action and conversation, as well as the reading he did to prepare for the role. From powerful proclamations, to joking asides, Marable has fashioned a character that commands attention, as well as respect. His Thurgood shows a passion for the law that was based on compassion and justice for all. The inherent oppression he endured being call the N word on a regular basis as a young man was formative in developing a strength of character that served him, and his clients well throughout his career.

Marable enters as an aged Marshall, walking with the aid of a cane, but showing no signs of mental weakness. He is lecturing at his alma mater, Howard University, a member of the highly esteemed historically Black Colleges. In telling his story, we learn of his grandfather's release from slavery and then his father's strong personality that led to his passion for the law. As a child, sitting in the back of court rooms in Baltimore beside his father became the educational backdrop his father used to form the discussions the two would have when returning home from the court.

Marable, along with stage director Steve H. Broadnax III, have presented this production before, including at the Chautauqua Institution. And in a first, Irish Classical Theatre has adopted a production that has been presented elsewhere. The results fit like a glove on the ICTC stage. Broadnax moves Marable around the large playing area with only a conference table, chairs and a lectern as props. The two men have obviously worked out the need for movement, or lack thereof, to focus the action.... all the while understanding the challenges in performing in a theatre in the round.

Lighting by Matthew DiVita and sound design by Curtis Craig fleshed out a production that was wholly satisfying and educational.

THURGOOD runs through April 16,2023 at Buffalo's Irish Classical Theatre. Contact irishclassical.com for more information.

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