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| Photo credit: Cylla von Tiedemann Left to right: Daren A. Herbert, Marcel Stewart and Mazin Elsadig in The Brothers Size |
The Brothers Size, a play written by Tarell Alvin McCraney,
the Academy Award winning writer of Moonlight, copped five awards at the 41st
annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards held virtually last night.
Presented by Soulpepper Theatre Company, led by artistic
director Weyni Mengesha, in May 2019 at Young Centre for the Performing Arts in
the Distillery Historic District, the play won in five categories of the Toronto
Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) event which celebrates excellence in
the city's performing arts sector for professional theatre, dance and opera.
It scored the top prize for Outstanding Production,
Outstanding Direction by Mumbi Tindyebwa, Outstanding Performance in a Featured
Role by Daren A. Herbert, Outstanding Costume Design by Rachel Forbes, and
Outstanding Sound Design/Composition by Kobena Aquaa-Harrison, Waleed
Abdulhamid, Jasmyn Fyffe and Thomas Ryder Payne.
The Brothers Size is the second of McCraney’s triptych and 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.
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
accentuates the dialogue and heightens the pace of some of the actions in the
play.
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.
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| Photo contributed Jully Black as Caroline in the musical theatre Caroline, or Change |
Caroline, or Change, a Musical Stage Company and Obsidian
Theatre Company production with
book and lyrics by Tony Kushner and music by Jeanine Tesori, received two
awards.
Jully
Black won the Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role award, and Vanessa
Sears the one for Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role for the musical
theatre which was held at the Winter Garden Theatre from January 30 to February
15 this year.
Set against the tumultuous backdrop of the Kennedy assassination and the Civil Rights Movement, Caroline, or Change uses fantasy and reality to explore a story about ordinary people facing extraordinary change. With a musical score that blends blues, soul, gospel, classical and traditional Jewish melodies, this ‘modern masterpiece’ is a timely story of change for our socially-conscious world, notes the promotional information.
It featured “Canada’s Queen of
R&B” Jully Black as Caroline,
internationally renowned Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman as The Moon and an all-star Canadian cast.
The Doras are named for Dora Mavor
Moore (1888-1979), a well-loved teacher and director who helped establish
Canadian professional theatre in the 1930s and 1940s.
Recognizing the outstanding
achievements in Toronto's performing arts industry, the Doras honour the
creators of theatre, dance and opera productions annually in
the following divisions: general
theatre, independent theatre, musical theatre, dance, opera, theatre for young
audiences and touring.
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