‘Native Son’ is Born on Stage at Antaeus
REVIEW: NATIVE SON
BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO
In high school Richard Wright’s 1940 novel Native Son was required reading, the book about a young African American man living in poverty in 1930s Chicago who kills, rapes, and then is sentenced to death. Everything that happens in this book is heavy and dark, truth be told I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of this disquieting tale back then. Now years later this book takes stage at Antaeus Theatre Company in Nambi E. Kelley’s 2014 adaption, and even now this stage version still conjures up these same unsettling emotions but now with resounding clarity because the unfortunately many of the scenarios from this story resemble issues that riddle our society even today.
Jon Chaffin, Gigi Bermingham, Noel Arthur. Photo by Geoffrey Wade Photography.
This captivating presentation by Antaeus Theatre Company so ingeniously draws out the grit, and harsh realities and consequences of racial divide in Wright’s novel and the present—audiences can’t help but be given a wakeup call that echoes all the way back to the 1940s.
The novel’s most lauded literary device is the use of what W.E.B. Du Bois called the “double-conscious,” that is, looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, here a black man seen through the eyes of white people is made even more distinct on stage than in the novel. The main character Bigger is portrayed by Jon Chaffin, and Noel Arthur represents the manifestation of Bigger’s double consciousness—it’s a play that allows audiences understand a character from the inside out—90 gripping minutes in the shoes of a poor black man.
Brandon Rachal, Mildred Marie Langford, Jon Chaffin. Photo by Geoffrey Wade Photography
Chaffin as Bigger constantly rides the lines from scared boy, to angry man to fated victim. There’s a brute physicality to Chaffin’s portrayal that’s forceful and affecting, yet never does it resemble a caricature. Bigger’s consciousness (“The Black Rat”) performed by Arthur is focused and deeply internalized, you understand that he represents something that is psychological, not of the physical world. The ensemble for Native Son is one of the most incredible examples of pure theatre collaboration and support. Each cast member moves in and out with purpose only adding to Bigger’s story proving that the whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts.
Kelley has created a contemporary adaptation that is a driving force with cinematic objectivity, which is exactly how director Andi Chapman tells this story on stage. Using lighting, projections, sound effects, minimal props and the whole stage, Chapman stimulates our senses to highten the drama and transport us not only to the streets of 1930s Chicago, but into the of labyrinth of Bigger’s mind. This is ambitious production for Antaeus, as there so many moving parts tangled in this poignant story, yet together with stage manager Taylor Anne Cullen the play runs like a swiss clock with each element in its proper place. Furthermore, Chapman brings to fruition the symbols of white society mentioned in the book from stark contrasts of dark to light, a temperamental white cat, to the bright scenes of swirling snow representing the “whiteness” that’s been ruling Bigger his whole life.
Brandon Rachal and Jon Chaffin. Photo by Geoffrey Wade Photography.
Take your seat and strap in for Antaeus Theatre Company’s Native Son, a production that takes you on a wild ride inside the subconscious of Bigger Thomas. And once the ride’s over you must decide if Bigger Thomas is victim of his environment, or another criminal who deserves to be punished.
TICKETS AND MORE INFORMATION:
Victoria Platt, Noel Arthur Photo by Geoffrey Wade Photography
WHEN:
Performances: April 19 – June 3
• Tuesday at 8 p.m.: April 17 ONLY (preview)
• Wednesday at 8 p.m.: April 18 ONLY (preview)
• Thursdays at 8 p.m.: April 12 (preview), April 19 (opening night), May 31 ONLY
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: April 13 (preview), 20, 27; May 4, 11, 18, 25; June 1
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: April 14 (preview), April 21; April 28; May 5, 12, 19, 26; June 2
• Sundays at 2 p.m.: April 15 (preview), April 22, 29; May 6, 13, 20, 27; June 3
• Mondays at 8 p.m.: April 30; May 7, 14, 21 ONLY
WHERE:
Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center
110 East Broadway
Glendale, CA 91205
(between N. Brand Blvd. and Maryland Ave.)
PARKING:
First 90 minutes free, then $2 per hour in Glendale Marketplace garage located at 120 S. Maryland Ave (between Broadway and Harvard)
HOW:
(818) 506-1983 or www.Antaeus.org
• Join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/
• Follow us on Twitter @AntaeusTheatre
TICKET PRICES:
• Thursdays, Fridays and Mondays: $30 (except April 19 and April 20)
• Saturdays and Sundays: $34
• Previews: $15*
* Antaeus Theatre Company has partnered with TodayTix, the free mobile ticketing platform, to offer a $5 preview lottery. A limited number of $5 tickets will be made available through the TodayTix app for previews.
