"Underground Railroad Game", The Ars Nova Production, Malthouse Theatre, The Beckett, Saturday February 9th 2019
"Underground Railroad Game", The Ars Nova Production, was presented as part of the Malthouse Theatre 2019 Season at The Beckett Theatre on Saturday February 9th 2019For those new to my blog I write about the holistic experience of attending the theatre. I buy my own tickets. So if you want a re-telling of the story please refer to the links for further information or for further insights. Note, that I may provide different links for repeated main words or phrases. I write for my memories of what I have seen, and is more of a stream of consciousness.
"Underground Railroad Game" presented by The Ars Nova Production as a part of the Malthouse Theatre 2019 Season at The Beckett Theatre, Saturday February 9th 2019.
As you entered through the doors of The Beckett Theatre, three black dolls were on display before the seating area. Due to the crowds, it was difficult to get close and read the text. A shame this information was not put into the programme.
I was not confronted or shocked by these dolls, as I had, and still have my childhood Golliwog. I adored my Golliwog. He was my equal and taught me about equal rights. He taught me respect and colour is not a novelty, but a difference. I am white and do not tan, and believe it or not, I was racially vilified because of this as a child. Yes, a white man racially abused in the 1960's for the colour of my skin. Even more reason, why I adored my Golliwog!
So the tone of trying to shock me with these three dolls - did not work!
The play is presented by two fine actors who were also the creators of this show, Jennifer Kidwell and Scott R. Sheppard.
The opening scene was a bit laboured, but well acted to create tension. The twist from a re-enactment to the lights up in the audience and the actors becoming the teachers was well presented.
As you entered through the doors of The Beckett Theatre, three black dolls were on display before the seating area. Due to the crowds, it was difficult to get close and read the text. A shame this information was not put into the programme.
I was not confronted or shocked by these dolls, as I had, and still have my childhood Golliwog. I adored my Golliwog. He was my equal and taught me about equal rights. He taught me respect and colour is not a novelty, but a difference. I am white and do not tan, and believe it or not, I was racially vilified because of this as a child. Yes, a white man racially abused in the 1960's for the colour of my skin. Even more reason, why I adored my Golliwog!
So the tone of trying to shock me with these three dolls - did not work!
The play is presented by two fine actors who were also the creators of this show, Jennifer Kidwell and Scott R. Sheppard.
The opening scene was a bit laboured, but well acted to create tension. The twist from a re-enactment to the lights up in the audience and the actors becoming the teachers was well presented.
The play required audience participation, as we were the students that were divided into two groups of either Confederate or Union Soldiers. At first the audience participated with trepidation. As the play progress the audience's enthusiasm waned. Reactions and interaction was half-hearted by many audience members.
The play was well acted but patronising. The twists and turns of the relationship between the teachers became uncomfortable, not for the racial implications, but because racial division was rammed down our throats forcefully and without any subtlety.
Some moments became cringe worthy at times for the wrong reasons. The sucking of the nipples provided the audience with not the shock, but an opportunity to react with "oh, he really is sucking the black woman's nipples" which took away from the moment. It was so in your face that it detracted from the scene. I called this the "Rocky Underground Horror Show" moment. I wish a judge will have seen this show particularly when the male teacher went under her dress and provided her with oral stimulation. This scene would have been more confronting with a more simulated stylised approach. The scene was basically gratuitous soft porn.
The fight scene had the same reaction from the audience, where audience members were saying out loud "they really are hitting each other" etc. Again, this scene detracted and became a violent porn video where the two characters erupted into a passionate sado-masochistic sex ritual with lots of humiliation and denial. This scene had the male teacher on display as a "piece of meat" like the slave auctions where the slaves would be put on public display during the American Civil War.
The "Safe-house" sign was defaced with "Nigger lover" where he was humiliated and beaten. This transitioned into a flagellation and masturbation kink scene. This scene was more of an advertisement for "50 Shades of Grey" rather than highlighting the horrors of the American Civil War and the Underground Railroad.
There was no mention of any safe houses in New York City. We were only exposed to one example of an Amish looking man. I have been through one of the underground slave/illegal immigrant tunnels in China town in New York City. That experience was more chilling than this play.
The play was well acted but patronising. The twists and turns of the relationship between the teachers became uncomfortable, not for the racial implications, but because racial division was rammed down our throats forcefully and without any subtlety.
Some moments became cringe worthy at times for the wrong reasons. The sucking of the nipples provided the audience with not the shock, but an opportunity to react with "oh, he really is sucking the black woman's nipples" which took away from the moment. It was so in your face that it detracted from the scene. I called this the "Rocky Underground Horror Show" moment. I wish a judge will have seen this show particularly when the male teacher went under her dress and provided her with oral stimulation. This scene would have been more confronting with a more simulated stylised approach. The scene was basically gratuitous soft porn.
The fight scene had the same reaction from the audience, where audience members were saying out loud "they really are hitting each other" etc. Again, this scene detracted and became a violent porn video where the two characters erupted into a passionate sado-masochistic sex ritual with lots of humiliation and denial. This scene had the male teacher on display as a "piece of meat" like the slave auctions where the slaves would be put on public display during the American Civil War.
The "Safe-house" sign was defaced with "Nigger lover" where he was humiliated and beaten. This transitioned into a flagellation and masturbation kink scene. This scene was more of an advertisement for "50 Shades of Grey" rather than highlighting the horrors of the American Civil War and the Underground Railroad.
There was no mention of any safe houses in New York City. We were only exposed to one example of an Amish looking man. I have been through one of the underground slave/illegal immigrant tunnels in China town in New York City. That experience was more chilling than this play.
An historical error included the line where the male teacher (Stewart?) was asked what he does in his spare time. He replied "Basketball". Now remember this show was about the American Civil War occurred between 1861 - 1865. Basketball was not invented until 1891 by James Naismith! Had the plantation worker asked "Basketball? What is that?" would have given the scene more gravitas. Maybe they meant baseball which had been invented in 1839.
There were so many missed opportunities in this production.
For example, as the two teachers walked along sipping their drinks, Atticus Finch was quoted as the male teacher's hero from Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird". If they wanted to explore the themes more thoroughly then the creators and director Taibi Magar should have included something about the controversy of "Go Set A Watchman". Without any reference to this sequel, the whole play was kept back in the 1960's rather than with any contemporary perspective.
There was a modern day reference to the book "To Kill A Mockingbird" and Atticus Finch as the male teacher's hero. The scene would have had more gravitas and relevance had they explored the outrage and reaction to the revelations about Atticus Finch in the sequel "Go Set A Watchman". For example, was Atticus Finch a role model as he nurtured Scout as an independent thinker?
There was no mention of "Twelve Years A Slave" or "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter" where both books and films created more empathy and compassion for the plight of the slaves.
As per the Q&A on the Malthouse website, and page 5 of the show's programme, there are references to a historian/park ranger "...stumbling over his words".
The missed opportunity was to clarify with certainty what and how these people should be called/named/reference in the future.
Had they wanted to explore the use of the appropriate language to be used then they could have delved further into the use of terms: Negro, nigger, black, coloured and/or African American etc. They could have referenced "Uncle Tom's Cabin" or "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers, where the daughter Portia confronts her father, Dr Copeland. See page 75 for what was considered politically correct in 1940 for a black woman/African American standing up to her equally black father.
There was no reference to the lone Australian, William Keen Bryant who fought for the Confederates in the American Civil War. With a minor adjustment during the audience participation dividing of the audience, they could have included this little known fact. For example they could have had a kangaroo in only one envelope for an audience member to open, to represent the lone Australian. This could have brought the message home to Australian audiences with a little more controversy and self reflection.
I kept my blue soldier as a souvenir as there was no instruction as to what to do with your envelope and contents.
The Amish man and slave puppets were used effectively at the end of the show. This also linked to the way golliwogs and mammy dolls were marketed and made. They had a display of these as you entered the foyer.
The visuals were effective with Production Design by Tilly Grimes, and Scenic Design by Steven Dufala. In particular, the large billowing dress that transformed into the tent, where the two characters created a shadow play, was most effective as a "transformer" costume. The set made mainly from cardboard looked as if it made for a school production.
The play was not as confronting as it was made out to be. Nor did it create within me a heightened sense of empathy for the slaves and the escape routes. "Twelve Years A Slave", "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter", "To Kill A Mockingbird" , "Go Set A Watchman" and "New York" by Edmund Rutherfurd were more enlightening and provided me more opportunities for empathetic responses.
Maybe the two teachers were the real game as they played with the audience's emotions and not telling the full story of the underground railroad.
