This season, Pacific Theatre takes on The Whipping Man, a play about slavery and relationships set in post-civil war USA. Written by Matthew Lopez in 2006, this contemporary take on an era rife with societal tension promises to take audiences on an intriguing and emotional journey.
Set during Passover in 1865, Officer DeLeon returns from fighting for the Confederates in the American Civil War to find his family missing from their home, and two of his former slaves residing there. Badly wounded, the two emancipated men, Simon and John, are forced to nurse DeLeon back to health. The struggles they face trying to figure out complex relationships, sharing a common faith, and finding out secrets lead to many difficult discoveries, all during a holiday that celebrates the liberation of Jewish slaves from Egypt.
The play itself has won numerous accolades, including Obie and Lucille Lortel Awards. Pacific Theatre’s production of The Whipping Man will raise the stakes, featuring stellar talents including director Anthony F. Ingram and actors Tom Pickett, Carl Kennedy, and Giovanni Mocibob.
Recently nominated for a Jessie Award for his role in Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train, also with the Pacific Theatre, Carl Kennedy sat down with The Peak to discuss this new take on the play. He will be playing John, a young, newly-emancipated slave.
Kennedy feels a deep personal connection to the piece. “[The play] is a part of my history; being from the south and being African-American, any of my ancestors could easily be the characters from the play,” he explained. “Growing up in the south, even present day there is still a lot of personality left from those former times.” As a metaphor, Kennedy stated, “if you watered down orange juice, you still know it’s orange juice.”
The play, he stated, “is about interpersonal relationships. The son of the family [that owned slaves] is coming back to a home that was completely ruined. Two slaves are left, Simon and John, and it’s them figuring out their relationships with Captain DeLeon.” The setting is one rife with social tension, stated Kennedy: “It’s set post civil war — the war is over, the South lost, and slavery is no more.
“I play the younger of the two slaves, John,” Kennedy explained. “There’s a big age gap between the two.” This age gap is also an ideological one, he argued, quoting telling dialogue between the two emancipated men in the show: “you survive your way, I’ll survive mine.”
The play questions the idea of ownership, and how the ex-slaves deal with the concept of their own freedom. Kennedy stated that his character can finally “own things just to own them,” a new and freeing experience for him.
The concept of freedom itself is explored in the play. “There is obviously an [exploration] of what freedom actually is, and taking it to another level,” Kennedy said. “You can be a slave to any addiction, to your old ideas.”
The Whipping Man will be presented by Pacific Theatre February 27 to March 21. For more information, visit pacifictheatre.org.
