Jared Bellot, Ron Wells/Photo: Joel Maisonet
Inconsistency is an inherent part of historical analysis. Not only can the same event be interpreted differently by various parties but much of history goes unrecorded. It is left up to us to fill in the gaps. Idris Goodwin’s “The Raid” attempts to tell the tale of John Brown’s crusade against slavery in America. However, Jackalope Theatre’s production, under the direction of Kaiser Ahmed, has a number of its own distracting inconsistencies.
Although Goodwin’s script is quite verbose and asks a lot of its audience in respect to sitting and watching people telling rather than doing, it does an admirable job of truncating the life events of John Brown (Ron Wells) into an hour and forty minutes. Wells captures the wild-eyed, zealous drive of a man who believes he is chosen by God for a holy task.
This play is also the story of Shields Green, a.k.a. “The Emperor” (Jared Bellot), who narrates the piece and plays an integral role in Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. Bellot’s performance truly carries the show. He has few words (the play maintains that Green was a quiet man) but those he does speak carry weight and his silences are even weightier. He accomplishes more for the dramatic aims of the show in moments of quiet than all the wordy exposition put forth by the others.
The artistic choices that create the world around these characters are sadly distracting from the tale they are working hard to tell. The moon is the primary scenic element on the stage. It creates beautiful images though it also illuminates some silhouetted scenes which tear the eye away from the show’s primary action. Many of the props are real or reasonable facsimiles, though the exceptions tend to attract unwanted attention: among a crowd of men holding actual guns, one is clearly constructed out of PVC pipe. Furthermore, Anthony Conway, a black actor, plays a white bounty hunter. The audience spends more energy wondering about what motivated that casting decision than actually paying attention to the scene. In cases such as these inconsistencies are not simply distracting they are confusing as well. (Christopher Kidder-Mostrom)
Jackalope Theatre at Broadway Armory Park, 5917 North Broadway, jackalopetheatre.org, $15-$20. Through December 12.
Related Stories
A Foreseeable Future: A Review of In the Canyon at Jackalope Theatre The world premiere of Calamity West's generation-spanning epic at Jackalope Theatre is a definitive example of the bold work the company is best known for.- The Fuckening: A Review of The Light Fantastic at Jackalope Theatre Like the best of the horror genre, the newest play from Ike Holter, in its world premiere at Jackalope Theatre, is equal part scares and scathing social commentary.
- Groupthinking Genocide: A Review of Ideation at Jackalope Theatre RECOMMENDED "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you" is an expression not without credo in our modern age. It is also an idea that propels Aaron Loeb's razor-sharp new play "Ideation," currently receiving its Midwest premiere at Jackalope Theatre. The title itself is one of many corporate neologisms used to debate the optics and optimization…
- The Median and The Mean: A Review of Life On Paper at Jackalope Theatre “Ideation” meets “It’s a Wonderful Life” in this world premiere from Kenneth Lin.
- Foundering Father: A Review of Franklinland at Jackalope Theatre Jackalope Theatre's world premiere of Lloyd Suh's delightful history play reminds us that our leaders are nothing if not grossly human.
- Glory in the Highest: A Review of Dutch Masters at Jackalope Theatre This breathless Midwest premiere written by Greg Keller and directed by Wardell Julius Clark is a definitive work from the ascendant theater company.
