CheekyChicago

A few months ago, my mom sent me an email asking me to pick a Sunday in March to spend a day with her.  This was by no means a twist of my arm, as I love my mother and the time we get to spend together is rare.  The request also entailed that I join her for a full day inside the Steppenwolf Theatre, to watch a three-part play series spanning over six hours, inclusive of intermission and a dinner break.  I, of course, said yes, but absentmindedly so… and perhaps a little reluctantly. I had no idea what this trilogy entailed – my mom’s taste in theatre has a tendency to be pretty hit or miss – and six hours is, after all, a long time.

After my experience this past Sunday at Steppenwolf (and I intentionally call it an experience), I have two words for her: “Thank you.” In fact, I would like to express my most heartfelt gratitude to the entire ensemble, director Tina Landau, and playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney of The Brother/Sister Plays¸ currently running at Steppenwolf through May 23rd. If you have time to catch it, run…do not walk.

The plays tell the story of an extended tree of an African-American family set in the deep Southern bayou, spanning over generations and interweaving the connection of all their lives.  In The Red and Brown Water introduces us to Oya (played by the captivating and genuine Alana Arenas), who is at the center of a heartbreaking and all too familiar love triangle.  In The Brothers Size, we reconnect with Ogun (the visceral K. Todd Freeman, one of the most dynamic actors on Chicago’s stage), who was one part in Oya’s triangle.  As he tries to save the soul of his younger, ex-con brother, Oshoosi, we are enveloped by the primitive loyalty and fierce love that only two brothers can share.   The Brothers Size is truly the climax of the trilogy. There are only three actors (we also get to know Elegba, Oshoosi’s best friend) and a small series of events that make up this 55-minute one-act, which result in a tale that is nothing short of gut-wrenching.  A note needs to be made on Phillip James Brannon’s performance as Oshoosi. Once in a while, an actor can pull you inside the complexity of their character work, the relationship study between their fellow cast members, the emotional homework they’ve put into rehearsals, and as a result, relay a profoundly relatable and raw humanity. To do this at all is rare. To do this in less than an hour is transcendent.

Marcus; Or The Secret of the Sweet is the completion of the trilogy and is set in the most recent time of all three works, yet the exact time is never defined. We meet many of the previous characters in their older age, plus the son of Elegba, Marcus.  It is here we see McCraney’s most autobiographical context, as Marcus comes to grips with his sexuality, set within the backdrop of the projects.  It draws on the relevance of family roots, the premonitions loss can bring, the universal bond of childhood friendships, and the deep crevice heartbreak leaves behind.

Landau’s direction calls on inspiration from musical theatre, with the pinpoint connectivity and intuition of Anne Bogart. The ensemble members undoubtedly bring their own unique voices, but Landau’s touch capitalizes on a universal synergy. It is magic to witness. But it is the 29-year-old McCraney’s writing (which has already solidified him as one of the greatest young playwrights to emerge in American theatre in the last few decades), that transforms elevated dialogue into pure poetry, making The Brother/Sisters Plays a truly epic event.

Are you running yet?