"Coming of the Hurricane"
by Keith Glover
at the Arena Stage, Washington, DC
(through February 18, 1996)
Review © by Richard Gist for ShireNet Communications
January 24, 1996
Billed as an East Coast premiere, the Washington Arena Stage's production of Keith Glover's second play "Coming of the Hurricane" consists of a stark yet handsome tour de force of staging, a couple of inspired acting performances, and enough rage and fury to cover generations of fallout from slavery and race relations in the post-Civil War South of the 1880s. The end result is engrossing fist-in-your-face theatre, albeit sometimes at the sacrifice of clear motivational logic and fully rounded characterizatons.
The story is set amidst the hostility of the times, and many of the figures we encounter lack the dimension we might hope could shed additional light on the issues in perspective. But the dramatic action builds effectively, and a long Act Two boxing contest (staged by David S. Leong in a manner at times reminiscent of one of George Bellows' paintings) is a solid climax to the rising tensions Glover accumulates, if somewhat overelaborately.
The central figure of Crixus, an ex-slave who had once made a name for himself as a "cutter" or bare-knuckled boxer and who was robbed of his family by whites, is initially incapable of showing his love for Kazarah who is pregnant with his child, clearly attributable to several ugly events in his own past. While his prize-fighting days are all but over, it is the prospect of defeating a towering white symbol of the South that gradually consumes his passion and leads him to one final, inevitable, and tra gic ring encounter. Along the way, we are exposed to his sidekick trainer and voice of reason, Shadow Jack (played by Wendell Wright); another itinerant Jamaican boxer who vies for Kazarah's affections (Chad L. Coleman); and Bigelow, a self-serving opportunist whose scheming eventually gets Crixus back into the ring (Damien Leake). All these portrayals are executed with convincing, though unremarkable flair. The somewhat overwritten script gets in the way of Wendell Wright's performance, which shows a good range of voice and movement techniques. As the foolhardy and crusty white characters of Stolkes and Meadows, respectively, Terrence Currier and Michael Goodwin support well. Bill Christ, repeating his Denver portrayal of Hurricane in the inaugural production, is perfect for the role, in size and demeanor. His acting is crisp and compelling.
When the houselights dim, the production begins in striking fashion as a huge confederate flag that looks as if it will be the acting surface is gradually swept through a central trap door, much in the way water flows down a sink drain. This touch takes on retrospective symbolic weight as the action unfolds, foreshadowing the fall of the white South as represented by the character of Hurricane, a previously undefeated itinerant boxing legend.
But this is perhaps the most subtle symbolic action of the evening, as the theme of anger associated with post-emancipation slavery is an insistent one throughout the drama, with two notable and refreshing exceptions that come as scenes in the second act. The first of these is a pre-fight encounter between Hurricane and Crixus, in which they define their characters well beyond the two dimensions we see during the rest of the play. The other is an amusing yet touching final encounter between Cayman and Kazarah. Guest Director Marion McClinton's competent direction, together with Michael Phillippi's barren yet stately settings manage to keep the audience engrossed. Allen Lee Hughes' lighting effects, especially during the fight scene, are first-rate.
Keith Randolph Smith as the central figure of Crixus turned in an intense and powerful performance. Had it not been for a couple of long and arguably dispensible monologues that the script forced him to navigate in the midst of his angry march toward his final fate, his evening might have been even more memorable. As the only female in the cast, Linda Powell's interpretation of the appealing Kazarah is subtle and provides a needed tonic from the play's overall atmosphere of rage and doom. Her dialogue delivery during the final scene was particularly moving.
Mr. Glover was born and raised in Alabama before attending high school in the Bronx. His only other published play, "Dancing on Moonlight" is set in 1960s Harlem and was produced at Joseph Papp Public Theatre in New York last year. It would appear that his varied background and pool of experience, combined with his eclectic and ambitious selection of settings and themes, will result in important works in the near future. Here's a playwriting career to watch -- with "Coming of the Hurricane," Keith Glover not only has a foot in the door, but is kicking it down as well.