[NEohioPAL] Berko review: The Book of Grace @ Cleveland Public Theatre

[Roy Berko]

Thought provoking, well acted THE BOOK OF GRACE at CPT

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News Times--Olmsted-Fairview 
Times

--cool cleveland.com-

Suzan-Lori Parks, whose THE BOOK OF GRACE is now on stage at Cleveland Public 
Theatre, is noted for her love of allegory and her sense that a play has to be 
about something other than what it seems.

On the surface Parks has constructed a family portrait which mirrors rage, 
revenge, power and betrayal.   The play shows a young man returning home to 
South Texas to confront his father for the older man's misdeeds.  As the drama 
proceeds it weaves the story of three people bound together, which erupts into a 
battle for personal survival.

Ms. Parks is seemingly looking at the American soul and dividing it into three 
compartments, represented by each of script's characters.  The father, Vet, is 
the corrupt, defensive and cruelly oppressive patriarch.  Grace, his young wife 
is the  optimist who believes that all things can be worked out, by ignoring and 
not confronting the real issues.  Buddy, the son, is the American rebel, the 
product of a troubled childhood and a misguided vision. At one point he 
identifies himself with terrorists like Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City 
bomber.

It takes no stretch of the imagination to see the play on multiple levels.  
There is the father whose speeches echo the voices of scared white Christian 
males afraid of being disenfranchised because “their America” is being taken 
over by “aliens”  (e.g., foreigners, homosexuals, women.)  Vet states, 
“Sometimes the alien is right in your own home. And you've got to build a wall 
around it.”  There are literal references to those who pass laws and man the 
fence meant to keep Mexican and other South and Central American “aliens” out of 
the US. 

And, though the author, in a local radio interview stated that the play is not 
race-based, the casting of the local production opens up a different 
interpretation.  Director Sheffia Randall Dooley cast a white father and a black 
son.  Buddy often refers to his father as “The Man,” a term that was commonly 
used by negro slaves to refer to their white owners, and which has carried over 
into present day references.   The history of master-slave relationships, when 
“bad things” are and were done to the oppressed minority, roll out in Parks' 
words.

Though a little long for a non-intermission sitting, Cleveland Public Theatre's 
production captivates.  Dooley's directing is on-target, building the strong 
emotions when necessary.  The cast is universally excellent.  Young Rod 
Lawrence, a BW senior, who will soon leave the area for New York, appears to be 
Big Apple-ready.  His bodily control and internal/external displays of angst 
were finely tuned.  Charles Kartali is properly obnoxious as the maniacal Vet.  
He makes it easy for the audience to hate his character.  Sally Groth correctly 
plays the Grace as a simple person, but not a simpleton.  Her final scene is 
emotionally wrenching.

Trad Burns' scenic design, a three walled fence of wire and boards, encases the 
playing area resulting the necessary feeling of the inside versus the outside 
world.  Unfortunately, his lighting design left dark spots on stage and in 
several scenes actually painted black lines on actors when they stood center 
stage.

Capsule judgement:   CPT's THE BOOK OF GRACE is a thought provoking, well 
conceived production that challenges the audience and should encourage long 
discussions.

THE BOOK OF GRACE runs through October 16 in CPT's Levin Theatre.  For tickets 
call 216-631-2727 or go on line to www.cptonline.org.

Also at CPT:

October 7 - October 30
DON'T CALL ME FAT
Written and Directed by Ozen Yula
CPT hosts this world premiere satire, created by internationally acclaimed 
Turkish writer and director Ozen Yula.  The play follows one man's grasping 
attempt to go from obesity to celebrity.

October 14 - October 30
KILL WILL
Directed by Alison Garrigan
Josh Brown and Kelly Elliott, a husband and wife team of fight-choreographers, 
combine all of Shakespeare's great fights, duels and murders to create a 
side-splitting evening of stage combat, improv comedy, and video-game battles!  
Roy Berko's blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2001 through 
2010, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at 
http://royberko.info
His reviews can also be found on www.coolcleveland.com and NeOHIOpal (to 
subscribe visit http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/neohiopal.)