At New York City Center Stage 1, André Braugher leads the stellar three-person cast in Matthew Lopez' The Whipping Man, a provocative drama set in the waning days of the Civil War. Braugher stars as Simon, a freed slave, who is living with another freed slave, John (Andre Holland), in the wreckage of the DeLeon family home where they once served.
Director Doug Hughes deftly set up the three compelling characters with distinctive differences that eventually unfold with a gripping climax. Taking place on a rainy Virginia night in April 1865, the play opens when the door suddenly flies open and Caleb DeLeon (Jay Wilkison) staggers into the house. Caleb is the family scion, a Confederate soldier, severely wounded and trying to stay out of the hands of the army. The severity of the wound quickly jolts a dramatic urgency as Caleb depends on Simon to save his life by performing a drastic surgical measure.
The twist here is that the three men are all Jews, Simon and John having taken the religion of the DeLeon family. Ironically, since this is the season of Passover, Simon and John want to hold a seder, celebrating their emancipation just as the Jews were freed from slavery in Egypt. Caleb, angry and in pain, is no longer interested in God or religion, but he eventually agrees to join his former slaves to celebrate the holiday together. Simon commands the celebration, singing the spiritual, "Go Down, Moses," linking the African-American bondage and the slavery of the Jews. The responsibilities of each individual shift just as the new era presents uncertain challenges.
While action is limited to the ruins of the once grand house, the intensity is boosted as each man unveils layers of his character and as their secrets are revealed. Middle-aged Simon is loyal and grounded and is quick to care for Caleb but also comments, that, "All these things you're telling me to do, by rights now you need to be asking me to do." Braugher keeps Simon's dignity and sense of values until a final revelation leads to an emotional paroxysm.
Holland as the younger John, displays lofty dreams and lusty energy that blanket his seething revenge. He resents caring for his previous owner and regularly loots through neighboring rubble. As Caleb, Wilkison spends most of the play on a cot, recuperating -- surprisingly fast -- from his devastating wound. Now he is forced to face his accountability in the institution defined by the cruelty of the play's title, The Whipping Man.
Atmospheric staging is impressive with John Lee Beatty's convincing remains of a once-grand home, Jill B.C. DuBoff's driving sounds of rain and thunder, and Ben Stanton's foreboding lighting.
Matthew Lopez' play is neatly-crafted and the characters, portrayed with muscular skill by the riveting André Braugher, Andre Holland, and Jay Wilkison, evoke an emotional portrait of a shattering time.
