WHITE PEOPLE
The New Rep's smaller space opened last Fall with Diego Arciniegas performing "Thom Paine (based on nothing)", an avant garde monodrama. Their last Downstage offering of the season is a trio of interlocked monodramas by J.T.Rogers entitled " White People " directed by Arciniegas. Its elusive title refers to the racism implicit American society as heard in the voices of three disparate citizens. This intense piece has three "white" Americans, a corporate lawyer originally from Brooklyn but now managing a branch office in St. Louis, an idealistic young college instructor in lower Manhattan, and a former highschool beauty queen in smalltown North Carolina. The lawyer, Martin, played by Stephen Russell , has a teenage son who's become a sullen skinhead, the teacher, Alan, done by Robert Knopf , is struggling to relate to his student's slang, and Georgia Lyman 's Mara Lynn has an epileptic son.
The misery behind their lives unfolds through direct address woven together on a composite set by Harvard's J. Michael Griggs. There is no direct interaction between cast members. Stage right is an office being packed up where Michael's tale unfolds. His space stretches across to upstage left. The center is a pigeon-spattered bench in Stuyvesant Park where Alan describes his frustrations. Mara Lynn is mostly stage left or down center, except when she uses the office to remember visiting a Hindu doctor at the hospital, and feeling marginalized. Upstage right a row of chair indicates a waiting room which unfortunately figures in each story. The question remains, why particularly "white people?"
It boils down to language, most evidently for the teacher, but a stumbling block for all concerned. Martin has lost all contact with his son, Alan and his wife fall prey to street violence, and Mara Lynn feels that everyone from her husband to the doctor talks right through her. And behind each character are unresolved issues concerning race and class. Most audience members will recognize the problem. It's an unsettling show acted with admirable intensity. No solutions are offered and audience reaction could well depend on whether or not they identify with the three characters. It would be interesting to here comments from an integrated audience. The technical support, Charles Schoonmaker's well-chosen costumes, David Kahn's careful lighting, and Scott G. Nason's sound design all contribute to the effect. The New Rep has had an auspicious start "Downstage." Other small theatres who are starting to use this new space will benefit from their success.