Reviewed by Judy Richter
Now that its production of "Marcus;
or The Secret of Sweet" is up and running, American Conservatory Theater completes the Bay Area staging of
Tarell Alvin McCraney's remarkable trilogy, "The Brother/Sister Plays." This staging also marks
an unprecedented collaboration by three major companies. Marin Theatre
Company in Mill
Valley started the trilogy with "In the Red and Brown Water" earlier this fall,
followed shortly by "The Brothers Size" at Magic Theatre in San Francisco. The ACT
production marks the professional world premiere of the unabridged
"Marcus." A shorter version was presented as part of the trilogy seen
all at once at The Public Theater and McCarter Theatre Center.
"Marcus"
focuses on the 16-year-old black title character, played by Richard
Prioleau, who
has many questions: Is he gay? What was his long-absent father like? What do
his dreams mean? When asked about his father, the adults in his life refuse to
answer. When his friends, who all assume he's gay, try to get him to
acknowledge that he is, he demurs. When he tells the 70-year-old Elegua (Margo
Hall) about his
dreams, which involve rain and water, she's upset. He doesn't tell her about
the mysterious man in white who also appears in those dreams.
Like
the two plays before it, "Marcus" takes place in a housing project in
the fictional Louisiana bayou town of San Pere. McCraney calls its time period
"the distant present." Presumably it takes place shortly before the
devastating Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. McCraney tells his tale
with humor, which is adroitly delivered by director Mark Rucker and his able cast.
Prioleau
is outstanding as Marcus experiences a range of emotions during the play. His
two best friends, both girls, are Osha (Shinelle Azoroh) and Shaunta Iyun (Omozé
Idehenre).
Another friend is the impish Terrell (Jared McNeill, who played Marcus' father, the
bisexual Elegba, in "In the Red and Brown Water.") All three adult
women -- Elegua; Oba, his mother; and Shun, Osha's mother -- are played by and
clearly differentiated by Hall. Gregory Wallace nicely underplays Ogun Size, the
only character who appears in all three plays. Tobie L. Windham completes the cast as Oshoosi
Size, Ogun's brother, and as Shua, a visitor who tries to seduce Marcus.
Windham also played Oshoosi in "The Brothers Size."
Loy
Arcenas keeps
the scenery simple, while Alexander V. Nichols' projection design, James F.
Ingalls'
lighting and Andre Pluess' sound design combine to create more specific settings, moods
and times. Costumes are by Lydia Tanji.
Although
one doesn't necessarily need to have seen the two previous plays in order to
enjoy "Marcus," they do help a great deal in understanding
relationships in the trilogy. A family tree in the program is quite helpful,
too.
Thanks
to the collaboration by MTC, Magic and ACT, the Bay Area has been introduced to
a bright new voice in the American theater. We can look forward to more as he
matures into his 30s and beyond.
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