Dutchman

by Amiri Baraka

directed by Charles Guerrero

at the Loeb Experimental Theater

Dutchman is, in many ways, a historical watermark. Written in the 60s by Amiri Baraka, the play is a radical case study of relations between the sexes across color lines, It's still particularly relevant and unfortunately may not be coming back to the Harvard stage anytime soon.

The play's plot is not complicated, involving a conversation between a somewhat disturbed thirty-year old woman Lulu (Jessie Cohen) and a middle-class younger Black man Clay (Michael McNeal) in a New York City subway car. Lulu's accusation of "Uncle Tom" provokes Clay to an angry and bitter tirade which forms the climax of the one-act play. The climax is, however, not followed by an expected resolution: Lulu stabs Clay to death.

Cohen is too hysterical from the start; her high-pitched squeals obstruct a gradual intensification of mood. Instead of the sexually jaded 30-year-old character whose bitterness would seem plausible, Cohen comes off as a virginal 17-year-old who cannot hold her end of the powerful dialogue. She is unconvincing when delivering brutal lines like "You middle-class Black bastard. Forget your social-working mother for a few seconds and let's knock stomachs. Clay, you liver-lipped white man."

Part of the problem is her physical presence on the stage. Instead of the "tall, slender, beautiful woman with long red hair hanging straight down her back" Amiri Baraka describes, Cohen is slight and much shorter than McNeal.

McNeal does a good job of responding to Cohen's hysterics, however. He has a plausible amount of skepticism and reserve at the beginning, but waits too long to reveal hint of his inner rage. This results in some difficulties mustering up the emotional heat for his long monologue. Director Charles Guerrero has taken a different and interesting interpretation of Baraka's Clay: this Clay is pin-stripe suited, slightly effeminate, and it is hard to consider him physically threatening.

Tym Tombar, as the conductor, is definitely the best part of this production. His booming voice creates a hypnotic effect that starts and ends the play. The speech, taken from Baraka's poetry, is an excellent choice by Guerrero and adds further meaning to the already complex play.

The other passengers' unwillingness to be involved seems largely realistic. At certain points, however, they seem too pointedly ignoring the crisis. When Lulu orders them to remove Clay's body, it is unclear whether they are frightened, apathetic, or collaborating with her.

The drunk (Elijah Aron) provides some of the only real comic relief during the one hour and helps facilitate more movement on an otherwise relatively still stage. The little amount of action on stage, however, is for the most part necessary: it keeps the audience riveted on the two central characters.

The mostly mediocre acting is in part redeemed by produce Joe Mejia's minimalist set and realistic sounds and lighting. The flickering green track lighting add to the intensity of the small set.

The production is not bad; McNeal plays a pretty good Clay and the tech works well to reflect the intense nature of the play. Cohen is a problem; without her strong character it is difficult to sustain the dialogue and action of the play. But the essential problem is that it's not great, which is disappointing considering Dutchman's potential.