The Whipping Man comes from the margins of history--those places in the past that you always knew were out there but never specifically heard about. Of course there were Jewish families in the South that owned slaves during the civil war. Of course there were this places that owned slaves that didn't work them to death in plantations. Of course there were those who would have been educated and come to get thoroughly disgusted with the politics of slavery.
Running now through March 16th with the Milwaukee Rep, the play is set right after the Civil War. A wounded rebel soldier returns home and finds himself in the company of a couple of men who had been his slaves. Simon--the wisest man of the three (played by James Craven) knows that the wound the returning veteran has in his leg will require amputation.
It's an interesting bit of physical drama that plays out. The soldier in question (played by Josh Landay) refuses to get medical attention in the proper facilities and he knows that Simon has performed amputations before. If Simon is insistent that he have the amputation, the soldier insists that Simon perform it himself there in his home.
What plays out next has kind of a profound impact. We don't actually see the amputation, but we know it's going to be ugly. Playwright Matthew Lopez ensures that much. Simon requires the aid of former slave John (Ro Boddie.) He tells him in a very matter of fact way what has to happen. Craven doesn't have to do much to sell the reality of Civil War-era amputation. I heard the audience around me get quite audibly uncomfortable as he described the procedure. We know we're not going to sees it because this is a stage play, but Lopez knows all we need is the mere suggestion of it in the dialogue. That's enough.
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As the amputation begins, we notice a rare weak point in the production. The beginning of that amputation that we see before the lights fade out lacks the impact of authentic human aggression. The soldier has a violent reaction to the beginning of the procedure. The three men tussle. It's an ugly pre-op brawl. It's very difficult to explain what doesn't feel right about that brawl. Fight choreographer Kyle Curry did a good job of designing it and the ensemble executes it with precision. Sit anywhere in the theatre, though, and you know it's a staged fight--not just because it's onstage, but because considerable care is being made to make sure no one gets hurt. That much you can tell from the back row. We the audience complete the illusion. Lights fade. When they come-up the amputation is finished and we're on to the rest of the drama.
So much of the rest of what's going on here feels emotionally authentic, though. That aggression that spills out before the operation, though . . . it feels weird giving in and completing the illusion on that because the rest of it does feel so authentic.
I guess it wouldn't seem so strange to me were it not for the fact that I'd seen much more convincing fight choreography. The best work locally can be occasionally seen on very small stages here in town. Less prestigious fight choreographers like Gene Schuldt and Christohper Elst have done some amazing work in some remarkably small theatrical venues. You know it feels right when you can sit in the front row and feel like you should jump in there and break it up. Are fight choreographers like Elst and Shuldt better than Curry? I don't know. As I say, it was well-conceived stage aggression so I don't think it's his fault. And the ensemble executed it well. It looked dynamic. It just didn't feel like actual aggression.
To be fair, I've rarely seen a bigger budget production of any kind with Equity actors have a viscerally convincing fight seen. I'm not sure why this is, but it's not necessarily the level of performance and commitment by professional actors. Maybe aggression just feels more authentic when you're close enough to be in a small studio theatre. It's just kind of annoying going to a show that's so gripping in every other way and then have to imagine that there's a fight breaking out. It feels weak. I don't think that production suffers at all from this, though . . . the rest of the drama is quite provocative.
The Milwaukee Rep's production of The Whipping Man runs through March 16th at the Stiemke Studio. For ticket reservations, call 414-224-9490 or visit The Rep online.
