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<p class=""><b style>THE GOSPEL ACCORDING
TO JAMES, intriguing theatre at Ensemble</b></p>
<p class="">Roy Berko</p>
<p class="">(Member, American Theatre Critics Association, Cleveland
Critics Circle)</p>
<p class=""> </p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style>Charles Smith, author of THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JAMES, which is now
getting its Ohio Premiere at Ensemble Theatre, is an award-winning writer, and
playwright-in-residence for the Indiana Repertory Theatre.<span style> </span>He is also head of the Professional
playwriting program at Ohio University. </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style>Smith writes political and historical tomes which center on race,
identity and politics in America from an African-American perspective.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style>THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JAMES, though it centers on lynching, is, in
reality, not about lynching, per se.<span style>
</span>It is a memory play which brings into question how an individual’s background
and perspectives affect how that person perceives an incident.</span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style> </span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style>To understand the underlying story, awareness of the Ku Klux Klan is
important.<span style> </span>Though founded in 1866
in the south, the Klan was prominent in parts of the North after World War
I.<span style> </span>The group, made up of
native-born, white Protestants, which was against Catholics, Jews,
African-Americans, immorality, and drinking was centered in southern Indiana
during the 1920 and 30s.</span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style> </span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style>On August 7, 1930, Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith were lynched in Marion,
Indiana. <span style> </span>They were arrested the
night before, supposedly for robbing and murdering Claude Deeter, a white
factory worker, and raping his fiancé, Mary Ball.<span style> </span>In spite of Ball denying having being raped, a large mob
broke into the jail, beat three men, hanging two of them.<span style> </span>The third, 16-year-old James Cameron,
escaped the mob’s wrath due to the intervention of an “unidentified” white
man.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style>Lawrence Beitler, a photographer, chronicled the incident in a series of
sensational pictures.<span style> </span>The pictures
were an inspiration for the poem, <i style>Strange
Fruit</i>, written by Abel Meeropol, who also wrote <i style>The House I Live In</i>, became the text for a song popularized by
Billie Holiday in 1939.<span style> </span>(“</span><span style>Southern trees bear a strange fruit, Blood on
the leaves and blood at the root, Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.”)</span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:rgb(55,55,55)"> </span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style>James Cameron, who survived the incident, inspired by a visit to the Yad
Vashem Memorial in Israel, founded America’s Black Holocaust Museum in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is dedicated to the history of lynching in the
United States.</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style>The play concerns Mary Ball and Cameron, the sole survivors of the Marion
incident, who meet years later, following the death of Mary’s father.<span style> </span>As they reluctantly talk, divergent
memories emerge of what happened.<span style>
</span>Racism, sexism, honesty, redemption, and perception mingle into a
mystery.<span style> </span>The audience is left with
the question of who is telling the truth and asking, “What really did happen?”</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style>Ensemble’s production, under the focused direction of Celeste
Consentino, is compelling.<span style>
</span>The writing is so clear and interesting, and the acting so strong, that
even though the pacing sometime lags, and some actor’s projection falters,
there is little time for wandering minds.</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style>The cast works well as a unit and is well-balanced in motivations and
clarity of purpose.<span style> </span>Anne McEvoy as
the now middle aged Marie (Mary Ball) and Peter Lawson Jones as the adult James
Cameron, are each believable as the duo with the differing memories.<span style> </span>As the younger Mary, Katie Nabors gives
a focused performance.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style>Though, at times a little affected, leading to some question of how
Apples (the<span style> </span>self-proclaimed
nick-name of James as a youth) becomes the level-headed Cameron as an adult,
J’Vaughn T. Briscoe creates an interesting character.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style>Antuane Rogers is spot on as Tommy Shipp, texturing the role with
meaningful verbal and nonverbal actions, while Kyle Carthens is fine as Abe
Smith.<span style> </span>Keith E. Stevens is
properly snarly and despicable as Claude, Mary’s abusive fiancé.</span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style>Valerie Young gives a sensitive interpretation to Bea Ball, Mary’s
beaten down mother.<span style> </span>Tim Walsh is
believable as Mary’s father and former Klan member. </span></p>
<p class="" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style>Ian Hinz’s set and Andrew Eckert’s lighting, Celeste Cosentino and
Sarah May’s sound and props, and Larry Gorjup’s sound effects, all add much to
the production.</span></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><i style>CAPSULE
JUDGEMENT:<span style> </span>THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO
JAMES is a fascinating, well written play, which is getting a fine performance
at Ensemble, and well deserves to be seen!<span style> </span>For a special treat attend the February 16 performance when
the playwright will conduct a talk back.</i></p>
<p class="" style="text-autospace:none"><span style> </span></p>
<p class="">THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JAMES runs Thursdays
through Sundays through February 17 at Ensemble Theatre, housed in Coventry
School, 2843 Washington Blvd, Cleveland Heights.<span style> </span>For tickets call 216-321-2930 or go online to <a href="http://www.ensemble-theatre.org">http://www.ensemble-theatre.org</a></p>
<p class=""> </p>
<p class="">To see the views of other Cleveland area theatre
reviewers go to:<span style> </span><a href="http://www.clevelandtheaterreviews.com">clevelandtheaterreviews.com</a></p>
<p class=""><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)">••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• </span></p><p class=""><br><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)"></span></p><p class=""><span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)"><br>
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