Review: The Gamm's AN OCTOROON Is Not To Be Missed

Rhode Island audiences have become familiar with playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins over the years through productions of Appropriate (Trinity Rep, 2016) and Gloria (Gamm, 2018), and even though those two plays are very different, the reliable element of Jacobs-Jenkins' work is that you can expect to have at least one (usually more) shocking moment. In AN OCTOROON, Jacobs-Jenkins seems to delight in taking audiences on a shock-and-awe tour through America's history and present. In turns horrifying and hilarious, this work manages to elicit almost every emotion a human being can feel as it burrows into your psyche. Because there is so much intense content, this is a production that has potential to go very wrong in less capable hands. Thankfully, through the skillful and thoughtful direction of Joe Wilson Jr., and an exceptional cast, this production manages to walk the line necessary to entertain and provoke.

An Octoroon begins with a clever framing device. We meet a playwright, credited as BJJ (Marc Pierre), doing what playwrights (all creatives, really) tend to do, which is complaining about the creative process. Eventually, he brings up another playwright, Dion Boucicault (Jeff Church), a 19th century Irish writer of melodramas, and thus begins a night of juxtapositions wherein our playwright creates his own version of the classic melodrama The Octoroon, in a play-within-a-play mode where we're watching the play and seeing it commented on at the same time. Wilson sets the expectations for the audience by placing two large monitors in the middle of the stage showing clips from blackface minstrel shows, Disney's "Song of the South", and other images very jarring to a modern audience. The plot of the play is at once relatively simple, but layered over and over with callbacks, and references and winks. There is a lot going on, and it feels after a while like the audience is being alternately pummeled and teased. Toward the end, one of the characters played by Jason Quinn says to the audience "we just want you to feel something."

Indeed, it is impossible to come out of this show without feeling a LOT. It's a leviathan of emotions- good and bad, and a show that one could watch over and over and find something new each time. Each of the actors plays multiple roles, and each is excellent. Marc Pierre as BJJ/George/M'Closky showcases phenomenal skill, and exceptional physical performance (Fight Choreography by Normand Beauregard). His dueling performance as even-keeled George and racist caricature M'Closky is worth the price of admission alone.

Michelle Walker and Jackie Davis as Minnie and Dido provide much of the comic relief as the gossipy house slaves, but both actors are deft at switching from flawless comic timing to real, palpable emotion. Similarly Alison Russo, unrecognizable as Dora the wealthy debutante, gets to showcase her comic abilities, which are formidable. Jeff Church tackles the incredibly varied roles of Playwright/ Wahnotee/ Lafouche, switching back and forth between different accents and dialect without missing a beat. Jason Quinn as Assistant/Pete/Paul delivers an excellent, if hard-to-watch performance. There is a lot of provocative makeup in this production, but Quinn's really brings into stark relief the exaggerated physical and dialectical choices of the classic minstrel show. Shelley Fort turns out a heartbreaking performance as Zoe, and Angelique C'Dina alternates between Grace, a spunky enslaved field worker, and a terrifying specter who occasionally crosses the stage or lurks in the wings.

This is a powerful play, and one that asks a lot of its audience. Regardless of how one feels after a viewing, it's hard to imagine not being changed in a very real way, and that is the point of good art. The talent of the incredible cast, and the clear comradery among the actors are what make this compelling watching and it should not be missed.

AN OCTOROON by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins directed by Joe Wilson, Jr.

Through February 20

The Gamm Theatre, 1245 Jefferson Blvd., Warwick, R.I. Tickets: 401-723-4266 or gammtheatre.org

Tickets $49-$69. Discounts for seniors, students, groups and more (gammtheatre.org/discounts)

Covid Protocols: For performances through February 20, 2022, guests will need to be masked as well as fully vaccinated (or provide a verifiable negative COVID-19 test result) in order to be seated. Proof of vaccination or testing (e.g. your paper/electronic card or RI Department of Health test result), along with your ID, must be presented at time of entry.

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