Topdog/Underdog At The Taper |
REVIEW by
Willard Manus Parks uses
the metaphor of three-card monte, the street card game, to epitomize the
brothers' struggle for survival. Lincoln was a past master at the scam,
capable of fleecing the suckers of nearly a thousand bucks a day. But
a violent incident (seeing an accomplice gunned down by an enraged victim)
caused him to quit the game for a straight job--dressing up in whiteface
as Abe Lincoln in a carnival shooting gallery. Booth, the younger brother,
is a wanna-be hustler, surviving meanwhile as a petty thief. |
Director George C. Wolfe (who recently resigned as top dog at NYC's Public Theatre) has encouraged Gilliard and Perrineau to think of themselves as vaudeville--or even minstrel-show --performers. Their use of body language, voice inflection and comic patter is truly masterful. Their work combined with Parks' kinetic text makes for an astonishing evening. (Mark Taper Forum thru March 28), call (213) 628-2772 or visit www.TaperAhmanson.com) |