By Sarah McMillin, Staff writer
The theatre department presented a production of “Topdog/Underdog” by Suzan-Lori Parks on March 24 and 25 in Isaacs Auditorium.
The show starred senior Marquise Richards and junior Kemah Armes and was directed by Richards and senior Marisa Cedeno.
“Topdog/Underdog” is about two brothers, Lincoln and Booth, played by Richards and Armes, respectively.
The older brother or “topdog,” Lincoln, works in an arcade as his namesake for a game, while Booth, the “underdog,” shoplifts and dreams of running a three-card monte game like his brother used to.
“It was a very emotionally heavy play, so making sure that the actors had enough time to get themselves in and out of the appropriate head space was key,” Cedeno said.
“This meant trying to keep a light atmosphere before and after running the show to alleviate and unnecessary stress and tension,” Cedeno continued. “But once they both got into the right emotional mindset, magic happened.”
The entirety of the 2 1/2 hour show takes place in the brothers’ small apartment. The apartment has one bed, a recliner, no running water and a bathroom down the hall. Although the audience hears about the action and characters that happen outside of the apartment, they never see any of it. All that is seen is the two brothers in the apartment.
The “topdog/underdog” theme could be seen throughout the show: even though they are only five years apart in age, Lincoln and Booth differ with where they are in their lives. Lincoln is educated, a fantastic dealer for three-card monte, has been married and has a job. Booth, on the other hand, dropped out of school, is trying and failing to be a good card player, steals for a living and loves a girl who wants nothing to do with him.
Themes of sibling resentment are present, but themes of family and brotherhood emerge in the play with repentance and forgiveness.
Another theme in the show is the game of three-card monte, where a dealer throws three cards consistently and the betting person must find the “money card.”
Throughout the play, the game both brings the brothers together and tears them apart.
Both Richards and Armes said to the audience after the show that their respective roles were emotionally taxing and one of the hardest roles they had ever played.
Cedeno also said that when she began work on the show, Richards and Armes had already made progress.
“I can’t really comment on the whole process of working on the show, because I came in during the last two weeks of rehearsal,” Cedeno said. “What I can say is that the ground plan for most of the scenes was already set, which was an impressive feat for two people to do on their own without a third person to critique their work.”
“Going in, we knew it was a difficult play to do, but both Marquise and Kemah were dedicated to making it work and it’s that dedication that made the performance so good,” Cedeno continued.
Production manager Rachel Heide also commented on Richards’ and Armes’ abilities to reach the audience with only two members of the cast.
“I’d say what made this performance so notable was that the show consisted of two men on who were on stage for the entire 2 1/2 hours,” Heide said. “During that time they challenged the audience’s perception of race and what it means to be black in America.”
