Theatre--Review

Spirit North, written by Leslie Lee and produced by Omni Artiste at Cite Des Arts deserves better audiences than it has been getting. The play concerns the responsibilities Black Americans owe to their communities and to individual members of those communities. Paul Massey (John Bess) is a defense attorney whose brother was framed and convicted by White American police. Paul has taken on the defense of a Black teen accused of murdering a Jewish student. There is some doubt as to which of three Black teens actually committed the murder but Maliki is a gang member and routinely victimizes his neighborhood. Nonetheless, Paul makes Maliki into a civil rights icon in order to intimidate the jury into exonerating him.

Paul's wife, Leila (Bria Hobgood), is a high school teacher confronted almost daily by the consequences of Black crime. She has, herself, been victimized by Maliki--a fact she has concealed from everyone, including Paul. Leila feels strongly that Paul should not be responsible for returning Maliki to the neighborhood. She wants Black criminals to be confronted with consequences for their actions and she wants them off the streets. Her best friend, Shelby (Brandi Sonnier), finds herself sympathetic to both sides of the debate. Shelby is the audience representative and her task is to try to find a way to reconcile both points of view--if that's even possible.

Finally, there is Ben (Nicholas Marchan), Paul's grandfather who slips in and out of senility. Ben constantly relives his showbiz past but occasionally becomes lucid enough to make some pointed comments on the situation. Complicating things further is the fact that Leila is pregnant and increasingly ambivalent about raising a baby with Paul.

This script is nicely balanced. It's not completely clear where the author stands although the ending somewhat weights the argument to the wife. Paul argues convincingly for the right of the accused to legal representation although Paul's real motivations are racial solidarity coupled with an all too human desire for vengeance. He doesn't care if Maliki is guilty or not. Leila's argument is that inner city neighborhoods need to be protected from predators of whatever race and that social progress requires social order. The two viewpoints are difficult to reconcile and the tensions that split the Black community also split the Massey family.

Although the setting is a disadvantaged neighborhood, the characters are well-educated professionals. Paul is a lawyer, Leila is a teacher and Shelby is a social worker. This is a play which works on the intellect as much as the emotions. The writing is literate, the characters are not victims and each of them argues his or her own point of view with eloquence and conviction.

John Bess is a well-known performer and activist who brings a solid presence and an inflexible passion to his role as Paul. Paul's sense of responsibility is more political than personal, a point dramatized by Paul's decision to put off the burden of caring for his own grandfather onto the shoulders of strangers in a nursing home.

Bria Hobgood brings a tremendous warmth and sympathy to the role of Leila. Her sense of responsibility is personal and maternal. She wants to keep Ben at home despite the difficulties of caring for him. She is a surrogate mother to her students and is about to be a mother in actuality.

John Bess and Bria Hobgood make obvious in their performances what draws this couple together and what pulls them apart.

Brandi Sonnier brings a nicely sassy quality to the role of Shelby.

Nicholas Marchan is 50 years younger than his character but his physical commitment to the role is amazing. He makes an equally strong emotional commitment. Watching and listening to him one sees the elderly Ben and not the young Nicholas. He makes Ben by turns dignified, defiant, funny and touching.

Director Alex Marshall and his Stage Manager/Assistant Director Andrew Hunter have presented a thoughtful, emotionally stirring show on a good looking set with a very appealing cast. Shows like this--entertaining and substantive and presented with artistic excellence--need our support.

This could easily be a movie on Lifetime. It is easy to see how this would play successfully on the small screen with this cast and director. But live theatre has a magic that film and television cannot match. Something electric happens when one is actually in the room with the performers that no camera can ever capture. Live theatre is moving and exciting in a way that can become addictive. But it can't happen in a vacuum. Performers need an audience. Companies need ticket revenue. Theatre operators need to pay overhead. This is an art form that can vanish without our support.

You can still catch Spirit North Saturday, November 29 at 7:30 PM and Sunday, November 30 at 3 PM. You won't regret it.

---Walter Brown