KC Repertory "Whipping Man" review by kellyluck

A New Exodus at the KC Rep
Rating: 5

The Whipping Man 

Kansas City Repertory Theatre

It is no coincidence that the KC Repertory Theatre's production of Matthew Lopez's "The Whipping Man" is making its debut so close to Passover. The story, a tale of slavery and freedom, of tradition and faith, of the conflicts between spirituality and the life of the everyday, is set over the final days of the Civil War, from the destruction of Richmond on April 2 to the assassination of President Lincoln, days which coincided with the Jewish celebration of delivery from bondage in Egypt. As the play progresses, the parallels are explored, and drawn upon for bringing out truths that have lain dormant for decades.

It is a dark and stormy night when Caleb Deleon (KC Rep's own Kyle Hatley) stumbles back into his family home with a dead horse and a gangrenous leg. The house is a shambles: scorched, looted, and empty except for old Simon (Broadway veteran Michael Genet), sent by the patriarch of the family to guard the place until their safe return. Presently, they are joined by John (Josh Breckinridge, another transplant from Broadway), a younger slave, relishing his new-found freedom and reveling in his status. It is quickly determined that Caleb's leg is beyond help, and must be amputated before the gangrene spreads. He refuses to be taken to the hospital, however, and so the operation is performed then and there, with whisky serving as antiseptic and anesthesia. This leaves Caleb bedridden for the duration of the story, propped up on a day bed in the main room, dependent on those he used to own.

The Deleons are a Jewish family, and took the unusual step of raising their slaves in the faith. John, when young, even learned to read a little, until he began to ask questions. But Judaism is a religion of discussion and debate, where to participate is to stake your ground and say your piece. The war – and the life of bondage that preceded it – has affected all three men in different ways, and as they wait for Caleb's leg to heal and the family to return home, everyone has a lot to say about it.

Such a story could easily become maudlin, or heavy-handed with its moral lessons. But Lopez's script maintains careful balance, tempering pathos with humor, conflict with warmth. The dynamics between the three are complicated to say the least: somewhere in a nebulous point between friends, family, employee and employer, owner and property. As the story proceeds and secrets are unearthed, the baggage of slavery becomes more and more apparent.

In an ensemble piece like this, with only the three characters to work with, you need strong actors. Fortunately, KC Rep has them in the cast for this production. All three play their parts with sensitivity and nuance, skirting what so easily could have descended into self-parody with consummate skill. One finds oneself drawn in to the lives of the characters, captivated by their stories. As to the lighting and set design, we have yet to see KC Rep do anything less than dazzle at stagecraft, and this is no exception. The house set is wrecked and dilapidated, with the look of a place abandoned in a hurry. It is the detailing that captivates: the degradation of the house, the slow accumulation of looted treasures, the gradual addition of candles so that, by the final act where the three make Seder, the stage is awash in candlelight.

In the program notes, director Eric Rosen notes that there were indeed Jewish families in the south, some who had risen to prominence, and indeed some that owned slaves. About one in five Jewish southern families, we are told. For a people for whom the narrative of escape from bondage is so central to who they are, it is something of a paradox. The program notes that they were not, generally, plantation owners, but merely kept a few slaves around the house. It sounds like mitigation but still, eighteen hundred years after the people of Masada chose death over slavery, it is curious indeed. This reviewer, being Jewish herself, found much to reflect upon.

The Rep have put together a particularly thoughtful production of this play, and to accompany it will be having special "discussion nights" with members of the clergy, a scholars' forum, and discussions with the actors themselves. There is a lot of food for thought in this production, and persons considering it could do worse than to schedule their attendance for one of these nights.

Overall, the KC Rep has once again taken a strong, challenging script and combined it with top-grade performances and stagecraft for a performance that will stay with you long after the story is ended. In a couple of weeks, when we sit with family and friends and remember together the deliverance from slavery, the Exodus of "The Whipping Man" will certainly be in this reviewer's mind. But one does not have to be Jewish to take away things of great value from this story. One only has to be human.

(NOTE: due to the intensity of the subject matter in certain scenes, this reviewer strongly recommend leaving the kids at home for this one.)