Reviewed by Judy Richter
An older, wealthy, white man is
accused a raping a much younger black woman in a hotel room. No, he isn't
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, former head of the International Monetary Fund. He's
Charles Strickland (Kevin O'Rourke), a character in David Mamet's ever-so-relevant "Race," making its West Coast
premiere at American Conservatory Theater.
After
being turned away from one law firm despite declaring his innocence, Charles
goes to a firm led by two partners, the black Henry Brown (Chris Butler) and the white Jack Lawson (Anthony
Fusco). It
quickly becomes apparent that the two attorneys aren't so much interested in
guilt or innocence as they are in winning or losing. Can they put on a show
that will convince a jury that Charles is not guilty, especially since their
initial assumption is that he's guilty?
The
still-touchy issue of race influences all of their deliberations, which also
are swayed by gender issues. Both the race and gender issues, as well as
perhaps ageism, are personified by Jack and Henry's attractive, young black
associate, Susan (Susan Heyward). Her agenda may be far different from whatever agendas
her two bosses have. Hence, in true Mamet style, there's much ambiguity in this
90-minute, intermissionless play, and no one comes out looking good.
The
set looks good, though. Designed by Chris Barreca, it features a long wall of
floor-to-ceiling shelves of law books (the program credits a local law firm for
370 linear feet of them). This slightly angled wall is met by a wall of
floor-to-ceiling glass separating the attorneys' conference room from a waiting
area. With lighting by Rui Rita, costumes by Candice Donnelly and sound by Cliff Caruthers, director Irene Lewis has assembled a topnotch design
team to complement the terrific cast. Brown and Fusco as the law partners are
cynical and smart as they play good cop, bad cop with Charles and then with
Susan. Lewis keeps the action crisp and focused, just like Mamet's script. In
the end, the audience is left with important questions about what role racism and
wealth still play in our society despite affirmative action and other
advancements.
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