Hambone
The Studio Theatre
14th and P Streets, NW
(202) 332-3300
www.studiotheatre.org
Review by Richard See
The generational and societal effects of racial hatred are placed under bright florescent lights and a microscope in Studio Theatre’s just opened Hambone. Playwright Javon Johnson has crafted a tightly structured play that crisscrosses diverse worlds and intersects both sides of the railroad tracks in the sleepy town of Anderson, South Carolina. It’s a play, which pulls the audience in with laughter before pointing out the learned fears and mistrust that underlie stereotypes about people we do not know. It’s greatest effect is to highlight the hatred and fear that can linger through a lifetime and continue from generation to generation due to unhealed wounds and demons that can’t seem to be let go.
Hambone takes place entirely at a small sandwich shop owned and operated by Mr. Bishop—a man with too many secrets gnawing away at his peace of mind. The diner is located in a predominately African American neighborhood and Bishop, who arrived in Anderson at age six, has become a well-respected man of the community. Unfortunately, as the show opens, the store owner seems to have more issues filling his diner than customers. His relationship with his ward Tyrone has become strained, his best friend Henry refuses to seek medical attention for his ailing leg, and the just paroled Bobbilee has returned to the neighborhood. Things become more complicated when a mysterious older, white man dressed as a train conductor, starts hanging around the diner. As Henry says, as he throws a mysterious white powder around the shop every time Harrison leaves, "Shoo Devil! Shoo Devil!" But it isn’t the devil that needs to be shooed away—it’s the truth. And, as so often in life, the truth will not be silenced, but instead slowly and methodically breaks forth through a series of twisting turns and unexpected occurrences.
It’s in this realistic unraveling that Hambone excels as a play about characters slowly offering up their own personal experiences. And director Regge Life has brought an excellent cast together to create an ensemble piece where each character is equally important. Doug Brown’s Bishop is like a rock breaking as he portrays a man haunted by his desire to create a better life for Tyrone. Henry, played by David Toney, is Bishop’s best friend, and adds the comic relief to Bishop’s steadiness, yet his character is anything but one-dimensional. Bobbilee (Luis A. Laporte Jr.) is a youth desperate to make up for his father’s shortcomings but who makes some fatally flawed decisions. And Jamahl Marsh’s Tyrone is trying to come of age when he suddenly discovers all the things which he has based his beliefs in are no longer true. While each of these men inwardly examines what it means to be a black male in American society, Harrison (Timothy Rice) is the mysterious white man, whose simple presence pushes them to the edge, as he attempts to right a wrong done 42 years before.
Studio has once again brought together a comparable team of technical people to support their excellent artistic creation. Michael Gianetti’s lighting is a combination of florescent and traditional stage lights, which complement Debra Booth’s ultra-realistic diner set. (The set seemingly has a working grill. Studio ought to think of pumping in the smell of frying eggs or bacon!) Gil Thompson’s use of James Brown’s music is a natural choice since Brown figures prominently into Hambone at various points. The play continues in the Studio’s Milton Theatre through February 17th. Tickets can be purchased at 202-332-3300. For more information see www.studiotheatre.org.
In short Hambone is a must see!