Most people probably remember the late Thurgood Marshall as a former justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. In actuality, he was far more than that.
He was the first black man to be appointed to that court and previously, was one of the lawyers who successfully argued the case of Brown v. the Board of Education which did away with the practice of segregation in U.S. schools previously existing under the law of "separate but equal."
Playwright George Stevens, Jr. brings these facts to life in the stirring one-man show Thurgood, featuring Laurence Fishburne in the title role.
Just as important as the various cases Marshall argued is how his experiences growing up (such looking out from his high school classroom window and seeing black prisoners beaten by white policemen, or having to sit in the balcony of a movie theatre because of the color of his skin) would get him interested in the law.
Thanks to classmate Langston Hughes, Marshall also began to understand how "one person can make a difference," a credo he would follow the rest of his life. It also helped that Marshall came from a family of protesters and questioners, inheriting their stubborn streak.
Noting how in high school he was often sent to the furnace room with a copy of the U.S. constitution to memorize as punishment, he remarks, "I was sent to the furnace room so often, by my senior year I knew the whole thing by heart."
It's also interesting to note how many of Marshall's own experiences led to landmark legal decisions. For example, years after being rejected by the all-white Maryland Law School, he took them to court ("I had a score to settle with those bustards") and showed how under the "separate but equal" rule the nearby all-black law school was not equal in terms of academic criteria. (As a result, Maryland Law School admitted their first black student.)
Or when his mother, a school teacher, wasn't being paid the same as white teachers, he filed suit and got a ruling in his favor leading to the passage of a law guaranteeing equal pay for Negro teachers in Maryland.
All of these stories (and more) are brought wonderfully to life via a conversational script and a powerful and passionate performance by Fishburne. (The play has Marshall relating his tale before an audience at Harvard Law School near the end of his life).
Fishburne has and easy way of talking that puts the audience right in the middle of the story he's relating, be it arguing a case before the Supreme Court, nearly being lynched by police officers in Columbus, Tennessee, or recalling his days as a waiter at a fancy club and taking abuse from a racist U.S. Senator.
Fishburne mixes up his performance with a nice delivery of humor and moral lessons, giving Marshall not only a righteous purpose but also flaws and humility. (Most of the latter two come from a look at Marshall's personal life and lessons he learned.)
If there's a problem with the play it's that one never forgets it's Laurence Fishburne on stage, rather than Thurgood Marshall. Fishburne is quite good in the role but is never able to really become the character he is portraying. Were he able to do so, it would make this already strong play work much better. It's a small distraction to be sure, but a distraction just the same.
Despite this shortcoming, the play takes an interesting look at an important figure in U.S. legal history, as well as giving a snapshot of how things have (and haven't) changed over the years in terms of integration, race and first Amendment rights. Leonard Foglia's direction keeps the action moving nicely, allowing for the proper pauses and reflections, as the insights change from legislative to personal and back again. Allen Moyer's set also works well. Clocking in at a brisk ninety minutes, the "Thurgood" proves to be interesting, informative and leaves one wanting to know more about the man portrayed.
Thurgood
The Booth Theatre
222 West 45th Street
Tickets: 212-239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
Information: www.Thurgoodbroadway.com
Running Time: Approximately 90 Minutes
Closes: August 3, 2008
Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication The Stage.
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