There's Much to Celebrate in 'The Brothers Size'

A Review

By Neil Armstrong

Photo credit: Cylla von Tiedemann  From left to right, Daren A. Hibbert, Marcel Stewart and Mazin Elsadig in Tarell Alvin McCraney's play The Brothers Size at Young Centre for the Performing Arts, Distillery District in Toronto

Tarell Alvin McCraney’s play, The Brothers Size, the second of his triptych, is steeped in love in its portrayal of brotherhood, Black masculinity, family and life.

Think about the richness and complexity of the depiction of Black men in Barry Jenkins’ Academy award-winning film, Moonlight, based on McCraney’s autobiographical play, In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, and one gets an idea of The Brothers Size.

 Extended until June 1 at Soulpepper Theatre Company in Toronto, the play unfolds in the “distant present,” in the bayou country of Louisiana in the town of San Pere (meaning: No father).

“The weather is hot, and the history between the characters drips with old grudges as well as shared love and pain. The brothers of the title couldn’t be more different. The elder, Ogun, owns an auto repair shop. He works hard, keeps his head down, shoulders heavy responsibilities. The younger one, Oshoosi, is a returning prodigal, fresh out of prison and looking to live it up. Simmering tensions are only fueled by the appearance of Elegba, Oshoosi’s former cellmate, who arrives with a beat-up car and a tempting proposition,” notes a synopsis of The Brothers Size.

On one level the play is about these Black men -- Daren A. Herbert as Ogun, Mazin Elsadig as Oshoosi and Marcel Stewart as Elegba – trying to eke out an existence. McCraney provides insight into the love and tension in the relationship of the brothers (Ogun and Oshoosi), but also includes a window into the intimacy, and possibly sexual relationship, that can develop between imprisoned Black men (Oshoosi and Elegba).  There is a tenderness that is witnessed among these African American men that is absent from the stereotypical visuals of Black men.  While the bonds of friendship exist beyond the prison cell the possibility of recidivism looms large too. 

At a different level McCraney elevates their characters to the level of gods, or orishas, of the West African Yoruba tradition. Ogun is the patron deity who works in metal, known for his strength in battle. Oshoosi is the hunter: a quick-witted avenger of those seeking justice, and Elegba is the trickster, whose temptations are meant to teach human beings. The playwright uses dreams to amplify the mental unease of some of the characters thus telling us more about what motivates them.

At the end of the play one could say that the playwright humanizes these orishas to show that they are prone to weakness and pain too. Indeed, the putting on of clothes at the start seems to depict a type of transition, and the tribal marks on their feet a link to the ancestors. McCraney’s signature portrayal of Black men as vulnerable, emotional, and capable of deeply loving and being loved is evocative. The tender moments of this play and the characters’ embodiment of such actions are worth seeing over and over again.

Under Mumbi Tindyebwa Out’s direction, the characters enter and exit the stage -- which is in the centre of the room -- from different directions in a ritualized movement. Much of the action happens outdoors but the clever set designed by Ken MacKenzie of a half of a car buried in earth also shows what’s happening inside Ogun’s shop. The music composed by Waleed Abdulhamid and Kobena Acquaah-Harrison accentuates the dialogue and heightens the pace of some of the actions in the play. Acquaah-Harrison performed live as the percussionist on stage as part of the set on the Community Night of the production.

What is also unique about The Brothers Size is that the stage directions are sometimes narrated by the characters.

As Otu notes in the playbill, “the language is heightened, rich with metaphor: each word runs deep, resonant with multiple meanings and references.”

There’s much to celebrate in this play and upon seeing it you will want to tell others about the mastery of McCraney’s storytelling. Perhaps, it will also propel you to find out what’s in the first of the triptych, In the Red and Brown Water and the third, Marcus: Or the Secret of Sweet.

Initially scheduled to run until May 26, The Brothers Size has been extended at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in the Distillery District until June 1.