Download LA Review: `The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King`

LA Review:
'The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King'
Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA at the Atwater Village Theatre
Reviewed by Les Spindle
March 19, 2012
Hot-button issues surrounding racial tension in America are plentiful
in Andrew Dolan’s world-premiere play “The Many Mistresses of
Martin Luther King,” but don’t go expecting a roman à clef exposé
about the martyred civil rights activist. The show might be described
as “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” on steroids, re-imagined for the
21st century and infused with a subversive Rush Limbaugh audacity.
Though the challenging script could use some smoothing out,
director Rod Menzies’ consummately acted production is intelligent
and provocative.
In an unspecified university town, Anglo-American sociology
professor Simon (Philip Casnoff) marries much younger AfricanAmerican graduate student Lashawna (Tracey A. Leigh). Meanwhile, Simon’s daughter from a previous
marriage is engaged to the son of Augustus (Carlos Carrasco), an African-American professor. The outspoken
Simon continually espouses controversial viewpoints on the challenges facing black citizens, which angers
many people, particularly Augustus’ black wife, Janine (Judith Moreland), and Lashawna’s wisecracking young
brother Anquan (Theo Perkins), who was expelled from the university for stealing an iPod. When Simon isn’t
granted tenure, he decides to become a writer, penning the explosive book cited in the play’s title. Potent
evocations of Greek tragedy punctuate his fall from grace.
Photo by Maia Rosenfeld
Dolan’s darkly funny script sometimes compromises lucidity in its relentless use of a time-shifting structure
whose purpose isn’t always evident. The action keeps returning to a cocktail party thrown by Simon and
Lashawna at which Augustus and Janine are the guests. Intermittent segments feature the academic
characters standing at a lectern to the side of the stage delivering monologues.
In his examination of racial differences and their complex ramifications, Dolan clearly values an open-minded
consideration of opposing viewpoints over a pat adherence to popular liberal beliefs. Thus it’s important that
Simon’s voice stay credible. Casnoff faces the formidable task of making a protagonist with a touch of
obnoxiousness somewhat worthy of empathy and succeeds admirably. Leigh scores strongly as Lashawna,
who acts as her husband’s foil as she tries to diffuse his indulgent opinionating with a degree of sensitivity to
their guests. Carrasco and Moreland give finely nuanced portrayals as a couple facing marital problems. As the
ne’er-do-well youngster demonstrating a surprising amount of common sense, Perkins is funny and likable.
Presented by Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA at the Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave., L.A. March 17–April 29. Fri.
and Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 and 7 p.m. (No performance Sat., April 7.) (323) 644-1929 or www.ensemblestudiotheatrela.org.
Los Angeles Theater Review: THE MANY MISTRESSES OF MARTIN LUTHER KING
(Atwater Village Theatre in Glendale)
by Jason Rohrer on March 24, 2012 in Theater-Los Angeles
BLACK AND WHITE AND GOOD ALL OVER
A smart play is usually a provocative play, but a provocative play is rarely smart. Many playwrights competent to stir controversy
have neither the chops nor, sadly, the intention to say much of benefit except to their own notoriety; and really talented writers don’t
always invest in the skills necessary to develop a thrilling idea. Even when they do, the vagaries of casting and execution can
underserve the material, especially when nobody’s getting paid. Rod Menzies’ world premiere of Andrew Dolan’s The Many
Mistresses of Martin Luther King displays such discipline of command, such consistent excellence of presentation, that to miss it may
be the worst mistake this year involving a trip not made to Glendale.
Sociology professor Simon Case (Philip Casnoff), married to his much younger former student Lashawna (Tracey A. Leigh), and
reluctant host to her ne’er-do-well brother Anquan (Theo Perkins), will pick a fight with anyone at any time. High on his list of
favored sparring partners are his department head Augustus (Carlos Carrasco) and Augustus’s theater professor wife, Janine (Judith
Moreland). In a fragmented series of house parties and lectures, the middle-aged, very white Case and his four black friends
reconstruct the traditional debate of race in America. What’s not traditional about this play is how much credit it gives its audience for
bringing to the theater informed opinions about that debate, and about the nature of the theatrical experience.
To discuss the play’s plot would be not only to rob the playgoer of much joy but to make the play sound very like something that
playgoer has seen before. Yes, a conservative Wasp, confronted by liberal African-Americans, attacks their sacred cows (including
the titular reverend) and has his conventions thrown back at him. The playwright has stated his dissatisfaction with American plays
about race, and their tendency to pander to a white liberal audience. Arguably, he does provide a lot of that sort of thing in this play,
certainly spending enough energy on both sides of the polemic to provoke many an Oleanna-style post-show sidewalk argument.
Of greater significance is that Dolan plays here with theatrical conventions (like the Greek chorus and the anti-hero) in such a
refreshingly blatant subversion that the inevitable becomes the desirable, and the desirable, the tragically frightening. And with the
single exception of an unnecessary final scene, he never underestimates his audience enough to give us the same information twice.
Without that redundant denouement, we would leave emboldened and ecstatic, not least by the respect given our intelligence; as it is,
it takes a moment to shake off that last moment before recapturing the congratulatory fervor felt during the previous two acts.
This cast, among the most outstanding ensembles in recent memory, deserves a large part of those congratulations, for generously
interpreting the nuance hidden in these deeply-written characters. Casnoff has arguably the least to do, as his protagonist is the most
straightforward persona, but the actor does nothing wrong and makes all the correct choices, which is not faint praise. Leigh, as his
wife, makes a part that might be played (to less advantage) as a slowly awakening ingenue into a rounded, painfully strong human
being; Moreland’s whip-smart professor informs much without overselling any of her moments. Theo Perkins, as a ghetto product
struggling toward assimilation to a larger society, is so subtle that his transformation surprises (even though, as with so many elements
of this play, it feels irresistible).
Carlos Carrasco, however, may give the show’s most layered performance, an especially neat trick given his limited stage time.
Introduced as an academic schmoozer, as in love with his success as he is trapped by it, Augustus seems a bland product of his
professional habits; Carrasco’s performance captures this caricature beautifully enough, but then his story unravels and a man
emerges, much like the play he inhabits, much sadder and more valuable than he might at first appear.
Along with that denouement, another minor element makes this a near-perfect production. While he has clearly done a yeoman’s job
shaping the characterizations to a uniform quality, Menzies wisely stays out of the way of the narrative, propelling the action by not
interfering — with, again, one exception. The play’s fractured time structure has been written so cleverly that it needs no external
assistance; the production’s time transitions, primarily lighting dissolves, therefore feel a bit labored. It’s a really small point, but with
a piece this good, every little problem becomes magnified. Because unlike a lot of recent Broadway plays about race, this one could
become a part of the American canon.
ON S T AGE LOS A NGELES
MONDAY, MARCH 19, 2012
World Premiere The Many Mistresses of MLK
Ensemble Studio Theatre L.A.’s world premiere of The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King by Andrew Dolan is a very
well placed step toward keeping the essence of important theatre alive. At rise Janine (beautiful Judith Moreland)
addresses the audience: a lecture hall full of students who may (or most likely may not) have done their homework. She
discusses the essential job of the Chorus in Greek Drama and in so doing, she acts, at least in part, as the Chorus herself.
Dolan’s play is about race. The title of the play mirrors the title of a novel written by the maverick college professor,
Simon, intensely portrayed by Philip Casnoff. The book, also provocative, discusses the indiscretions of Reverend King
through the eyes of his paramours.
Director, Rod Menzies’s, gentle hand elicits the best from his players. A fine cast brings the text to life. They embody
their characters beautifully. The only problem with the script has to do with time. In the first scene we discover the
relationship between Simon and the terrific Tracey A. Leigh as Lashawna in full bloom. Then, oddly, with a scene change,
student Lashawna arrives at the professor’s home to turn in a late assignment. Flashbacks and oddly disjointed scenes
eventually come together, but the linear pathway has been abandoned, leaving the audience to do more work than
might be necessary. Not that a challenge to chronological order is a bad thing, but in a couple of circumstances, figuring
out Who’s on First becomes the focus when in a more linear presentation, the basic argument might have made more
sense. It seemed to be a device for the sake of the device. Though the considerable age difference between Lashawna
and Simon might have some tongues wagging, the fact that Lashawna is a black woman and Simon is white man might
also add to the chatter.
Time slips and slides. Two couples, Lashawna married to Simon and Janine to Augustus (Carlos Carasco) are all teachers
at an unnamed university. They socialize. In a minor subplot, Simon’s teen daughter, lost to divorce, is drawn to Janine
and Augustus’s twenty year old son. Friction regarding race and stereotypes emerges with the introduction into the
household of Lashawna’s brother, Anquan (Theo Perkins), an aspiring basketball player and petty thief.
This is a heady play with ironic twists and turns, mostly well laid out. Though not impossible to follow, references to the
assassination of MLK in 1968 and Simon’s book and book tour regarding the supposed sexual dalliances that the Civil
Rights leader may have had climax with heavy emotional results.
Excellent set by scenic designer, Tom Buderwitz. Well executed lighting by J. Kent Inasy.
World Premiere
The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King
By Ron Irwin, Burbank Entertainment Industry Examiner
With a title “The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King” my initial thought was what I think most people’s first reaction will be
“Wow! This is going to be a super controversial play.” Well… let’s see.
It was written by Andrew Dolan a veteran actor who has performed on Broadway and off Broadway as well as at the National
Theatre in London. About ten years ago he expanded his repertoire by writing screen plays. He has sold two and is currently
developing a TV project. Next he began writing plays and “The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King” is his first full length play
produced, directed by Rod Menzies and now on stage at EST/LA and at the Atwater Village Theatre.
But for a playwright’s ideas to come to life on stage those ideas must be interpreted and presented by a cast of actors. In this
case that cast of actors is five of the very best. Each performance was utterly believable. For roughly 90 minutes the audience
was not so much watching a performance as it was eves dropping on the lives of five unique people.
Judith Moreland is Janine a college professor of theatre. Among her many acting credits Judith Moreland has performed in
three Shakespearean plays on Broadway. But perhaps best preparing her for Janine the Theatre professor might be her day job
as a member of the faculty at UCLA’s department of theatre.
Philip Casnoff is Simon the pivotal character who stirs the pot by writing his book: “The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King,”
Adding to the controversy is Simon’s marriage to Lashawna, a black woman played by the beautiful and talented Tracey A.
Leigh. Philip Casnoff has numerous stage and TV credits including a Golden Globe nomination and an Emmy for his title role in
“Sinatra.” Tracey A. Leigh is a member of EST/LA also with abundant stage and TV credits including such popular shows as
“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Criminal Minds,” “Law and Order” and “Charmed.” But contemplate a married couple, both in academia, the
man white, the lady black and the man writes a book entitled: “The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King.” I will bet you have
already formed many thoughts about the direction this is going and I will also bet most of your thoughts are incorrect.
Theo Perkins is perfect as Anquan a less than perfect human being who is blessed with wit but more than a little cocky and far
more focused on the NBA than say Algebra. This is Theo Perkins debut with EST/LA but he has appeared on Broadway in
“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolored Dreamcoat.” He has also guest starred on CBS, Fox and TNT.
Rounding out this great cast is Carlos Carrasco as a Professor of African America Studies Augustus. He has just the right mix
of pomposity and humanity to be a highly believable character. He also is eloquent in presenting some often unknown or
overlooked realities about race in America today. Carlos Carrasco has a rich acting background to include on and off Broadway
as well as film acting. And here is perhaps the core of this amazing play.
Simon makes some very important and relevant observations about a man he in fact passionately respects and adores as a
leader, the Reverend Martin Luther King. Augustus also makes some riveting points on contemporary race relations. And, of
course, Lashawna, Janine and Anquan bring their observations, thoughts and feeling s to the mix giving the whole experience
life, energy and humanity.
Frankly this is sometimes a play that can be a bit difficult to follow and the path is not always crystal clear but there is not one
moment that is not thoroughly entertaining and moving. It is laced with subtle humor and very real performances by a truly
stellar cast. This production from script to performance, from the writing of Andrew Dolan through the direction of Rod Menzies
to the superb acting of the entire cast has real entertainment and thought provoking power. Even my lovely teen daughter and
acclaimed actress Kari Irwin who is usually an extremely harsh critic said to me on the way home, “Daddy that was an extremely
good play.”
So the question becomes, where will it go? Will it go on to a larger venue? Maybe. Will it morph into a film or television show?
A movie perhaps, but not likely a television show because it demands too much actual thought from the audience and with TV
shows such as “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” television is clearly not an arena that seeks a thoughtful audience. Then, of
course, there are the concerns of the director and playwright and the cast all with competing interests. So where this play may
go is a mystery. But what is not a mystery is that right now you can experience it at the Atwater Village Theatre and that I
unequivocally recommend you do.
“The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King” is at The Atwater Village theatre 3269 Casitas Avenue, Atwater Village, CA 90039 now
through April 29th. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm and 7 pm. For reservations and further
information please call: 323-644-1929 or visit www.ensemblestudiotheatrela.org.
You Should Go See This Play Now: 'The Many Mistresses of Martin
Luther King' at Atwater Village Theatre
By Mialka Bonadonna Morano
Mar 23, 2012
Andrew Dolan's provocative and honest drama, The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King, is playing
at Atwater Village Theatre. This Ensemble Studio Theatre production examines multi-faceted, often
hidden complexities of racism in the United States. Dolan respectfully approaches inequality paradigms
in a way that is rarely found in any arena -- be it political, economic, social, or artistic.
The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King is not pandering, jokey, insulting, or overly-academic; but
rather wonderfully insightful, fearless, and honorable. The timely script portrays a mixed-race family
struggling to deal with race-based inequality and academic politics as their individual social realities
and perceptions foster conflict. With its crisp direction, cordial staging, astute writing, and a superbly
talented cast The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King is a truly excellent production that
demonstrates exactly how wonderful theatre at its best.
The engaging and absorbing ensemble cast of The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King brilliantly
portrays characters with tremendous clarity. Philip Casnoff unfailingly and unapologetically navigates
the central role of Simon, a controversial, unlikable, sociology professor and novelist. Casnoff is an
intrepid performer -- at once bold, edgy, and dynamic. Tracey A. Leigh is Lashawna, Simon's wife and
a budding professor. Leigh is resolute, yet artfully subtle as she tenaciously channels Lashawna's
delicately balanced strength-out-of-strain persona. The role of performing arts professor Janine, is
gracefully rendered by Judith Moreland. Her heartening and impassioned delivery of lines that describe
the inherent power of theatre is utterly blissful to witness. Carlos Carrasco plays a distinguished and
understanding department chair. Carrasco fills his character with warmth, graciousness, and sentiment
while crafting delicate meta messages that elevate all those around him. Moreland and Carrasco, when
together on stage, are masters of unspoken tension. Finally, Theo Perkins plays Anquan, Lashawna's
immature but sensible younger brother. Perkins uses perfectly realistic comedic delivery and a knowing
resolve to give his role lingering weightiness and depth.
Under the direction of Rod Menzies, The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King is a transportive and
transformative production that oozes consciousness and demonstrates the expansive capacity of theatre.
His compelling staging simmers with energized intensity and lofty nerve. Tasteful set design by Tom
Buderwitz feels homey and inviting. Lighting by J. Kent Inasy is simple, thoughtful, and at times
gorgeous. Simply put, The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King is a must-see gem and a sheer
pleasure to partake of.
The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King is playing through April 29 at Atwater Village Theatre. Tickets are
$25 with several pay-what-you-can dates. Ticketing is available online or via phone at 323-644-1929.
Published by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI)
Theater review
The Many Mistresses Of Martin Luther King and the politics of race in
America
By Richard Adams
26 March 2012
The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King, now receiving its premiere production at Ensemble Studio Theatre in Los Angeles,
dives into the turbulent waters of racial stereotyping and identity politics with uncensored abandon. Andrew Dolan’s script is
smart, tart, and rich with discomfiting insight. Under the deft direction of Rod Menzies, the ensemble of five attains a depth of
social and emotional reality that is palpable and moving without sacrificing the power of ideas to clarify, provoke, challenge, or
hurt.
The play revolves around the character of Simon (in a stellar performance by Philip Casnoff), a gadfly sociologist and former
social worker whose years in the trenches of Chicago’s notorious public housing project, Cabrini Green, have left him cynical
and combative. His tragedy, if it can be considered as such, is that he often mistakes cynicism for realism and mere provocation
as speaking truth to power and ignorance. His deeper, and unacknowledged, flaw is that he seems trapped within the very
perspectives he critiques, unable or unwilling to confront the class divisions and oppressions that underlie racism in capitalist
America.
When we meet Simon, he’s married to a former student, Lashawna (a captivating Tracey A. Leigh); the bitter divorce from his
ex-wife has left a nasty residue, and his failure to gain tenure still stings. His new book, “The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther
King,” is about to be published. The book is historical fiction, the story of Martin Luther King told through the voices of women
with whom King had affairs. The fact that Simon is a white man married to a young black woman writing about a revered
American icon from the point of view of black women trips so many landmines of pious hypocrisy that the expected explosions
feel all the more potent for their being so thoroughly repressed in heated yet civil academic sparring—until they aren’t.
To complicate matters, Simon’s daughter is about to marry the son of Augustus (Carlos Carrasco) and Janine (Judith Moreland),
a black academic couple; he’s the head of the Sociology Department that recently denied Simon’s tenure and in which
Lashawna is now an adjunct professor. Janine, a once prominent playwright, is now teaching in the Drama Department.
Lashawna’s brother, Anquan (Theo Perkins), is living with Simon and Lashawna after being expelled from the university for
stealing an iPod; he’d been enrolled on a basketball scholarship.
Simon’s interactions with Augustus, Janine, and even Lashawna are further complicated by his contempt for his former
colleagues—and the entire academic establishment, which he describes as a bunch of intellectual dilettantes on a cruise ship
who no longer even want to come ashore to experience the world about which they so fatuously pontificate.
In this play, the labels we use to designate race are sometimes used to disparage, then, a moment later, invoked with pride.
Echoing Marshall McLuhan’s classic distinction between archetype and stereotype, Simon forces anyone within hearing
(including the audience) to confront the power of stereotype to affirm or disparage. His often scattershot critique of identity
politics is bracing, landing welterweight punches with regularity. But what makes this captivating on stage is Simon’s impish
delight in his taunts and the relish with which he causes others (including the audience) acute social discomfort. Constitutionally
incapable of playing nice, he enjoys playing the maverick bad-boy, a role he nurtures and defends against all comers.
The intriguing dynamic of this play is the way in which the audience is forced to keep trying to label Simon and the others, only
to have those labels sabotaged. Is Simon a truth-teller whose glib manner hides a racist heart? Is he merely a middle-aged
curmudgeon? Or someone so deeply offended by suffocating political correctness that he refuses to tolerate the polite
hypocrisies that make social interaction comfortable? This is a man who passionately believes that the Rev. Martin Luther King
is “Rushmore material,” the equal of Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln. Yet his book, whose actual contents we can only
surmise, revels in King’s all too human weaknesses. Simon cites Ralph Abernathy as a reliable authority for shaping his novel
around the fact that King was a serial womanizer on the level of John Kennedy.
A constant theme of this play is the question of personal responsibility versus material conditions. It asks, who is to blame for
poverty and ignorance and how should that blame be allocated between the social pathologies fostered by structural class
oppression (further complicated by racism), on the one hand, and a given individual, on the other? Simon comes down so hard
on the side of personal responsibility, he often sounds like an empathy-impaired libertarian. His Jesuitical arguments for
blaming the victim are so sharply stated they shock.
There is something repellent about those (à la Bill Cosby and others) who preach morality and “personal responsibility” to
people living in the abyss, which spotlights them as well-heeled hypocrites and frauds. From their lofty positions—as parasitical
beneficiaries of the exploitation and misery of the mass of the people—they are merely seeking to defend their wealth and
privileges against the great unwashed. There is nothing new about this sort of defense of class privilege. What is new is that
such rotten ideas find a hearing in the erstwhile liberal middle class, which has given up on its youthful radicalism and now
dreams of Apple dividends, security gates, and well-armed policemen.
In a recent interview, playwright Dolan remarked that “I’ve always been fascinated by how people discuss race in America. It’s
the defining social issue in our history. I’ve seen many plays that address it, but I’ve always left profoundly dissatisfied because
they almost universally pander to the expectations of liberal theatergoing audiences. I wanted to write a play that is not
necessarily a reflection of the liberal perspective, and I wanted to write it without apology.” While Dolan’s play definitely does
not pander to liberal expectations, it somewhat begs the question of what constitutes his alternative perspective.
Nor is it true, in the first place, that race is the “defining social issue in our history.” The division of society into conflicting
social classes is the defining issue, indeed, it is what constitutes the society.
Dolan apparently fails to see that there is a left-wing and a right-wing critique of “identity politics.” Although right-wing critics
of feminism, the gay rights movement, and other ethnic identity movements occasionally make a correct point (like the stopped
clock that’s accurate twice a day), socialist critics of identity politics are not about to ally themselves with repugnant blowhards
like Rush Limbaugh and his ilk. Such figures seek to identify the “left” in the public mind with the identity politics crowd in
order to smear and forestall the popularization of genuinely left-wing ideas. Where does Dolan stand? It remains unclear.
The play is effective in the many ways in which it dissects the fault-lines and fatuousness of academia’s disconnect from the
real world. Bloodless theory and group-think, stringent taboos and shared hypocrisies define (at least for Simon) the world of
the cognitive elite. Simon’s critiques zing. But Dolan wisely complicates these moments. Augustus, the chief target of Simon’s
attack, ultimately (and cynically) justifies parlaying of his heritage into a career as a professional African-American because “it
pays damn well.” Augustus has learned how to work academic politics to his own end and finds Simon’s open contempt for
those rules of the game obnoxious and self-destructive—and an implicit attack on his own success.
Augustus, whose academic pedigree Simon sneers at, at first seems like a familiar academic type, most comfortable when
running with the intellectual herd, ultimately proves himself a much deeper student of history and its consequences than Simon
is able to see.
No single play or playwright can be expected provide a complete social analysis of complex issues like race and class. Dolan’s
play succeeds in that it challenges us to ask the kinds of questions it forced me to ask.
The acting here is breathtaking, with characters so fully realized it doesn’t feel at all like “acting,” so emotionally specific,
varied, and riddled with contradictions, so credible in their flaws they evoke sympathy for their sheer humanity even when
behaving badly. Academic speech which, in lesser hands, could have dulled us with smug self-assurance is mined for emotional
shifts and unexpected colors that reveal the complex humans behind the talk.
The physical production is exemplary. Tom Buderwitz’s set, with its floating banks of windows, captures just the right balance
between naturalism and abstraction; J. Kent Inasy’s lighting is restrained yet incredibly effective; John Ballinger’s sound design
is evocative, the audio mix suggesting King’s assassination that ends Act One brings chills; and Naila Aladdin Sanders’
costumes are spot on. The acting, across the board, from beginning to end, is magnificent, a triumph of both these actors and
director Menzies. This viewer could not imagine how the play would end and, frankly, didn’t want it to.
COLORBLIND: “THE MANY MISTRESSES OF MARTIN LUTHER KING” AT EST/LA
By Samuel Bernstein
03/22/2012
The story of Andrew Dolan’s new play, The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King, has nothing to do with Martin Luther King
directly—but in another sense, it has everything to do with Dr. King. It seeks to define his legacy through the lives of modern
people. What do we think about race in America? What do we say? What do we hide?
Simon is a white professor and writer, surrounded by African Americans, who imagines himself colorblind. In some ways that’s
true. Regardless of race or upbringing, he expects everyone to meet the same high standards: His. Yet he is astoundingly blind
to the issues of color that affect those whose skin color actually differs from his. He is also deaf to his own pedantic narcissism.
It isn’t enough that he insults you, he must also explain why whatever he has said isn’t an insult; how it is supported by a
millennia of Western philosophy and art, and that any disagreement is proof of intellectual dishonesty.
Simon advocates unpopular classroom views on “personal responsibility” that stir enough controversy to bring his tenure into
question—though it is his own infantile hubris that actually does him in—not any sort of censorship. His marriage to Lashawna
is on the rocks. She has “bettered herself” from her inner city roots and is on track to become a professor at the same
university where Simon has been teaching. She is determined to drag her brother Anquan with her—whether he wants to be a
student or not. He is suspended for stealing another student’s i-pod and is an awkward, sometimes unwelcome guest in their
home.
Simon and Lashawna’s boss, Augustus, and his wife, another professor, Janine, are an African-American couple who are
mainstays of the cultural life at the unnamed university where they all work and live. Their marriage is going through its own
struggles—and it doesn’t help that their son is engaged to Simon’s daughter from his first wife. Then there is the mysterious
book Simon is writing: The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King, historical fiction told from the points of view of three of the
women Dr. King fooled around with. When the book is published, explosions abound.
Dolan has a gift for making the language and conversation of these intellectually minded people sound absolutely authentic,
and passionately alive. Allusions and contrasts are drawn between theatrical history, cultural criticism, and sociology that are
as complex as they are meaningful—but most importantly, the dialogue crackles with energy and focus—in perfect harmony
with Rod Menzies’ effortless, assured direction.
Philip Casnoff is an accomplished actor who brings a glint of wicked humor to Simon. Tracey A. Leigh, as Lashawna, has the
biggest journey to make, and she handles the transitions with skill and gentle affection. When she and Casnoff kiss, they seem
like two people who are actually married. Carlos Carrasco and Judith Moreland as Augustus and Janine are droll and patient.
Neither actor telegraphs much, which is what makes it so much fun when they cut loose. Moreland is especially effective,
bridging the character’s inner and outer lives without fuss or embellishment.
This is a very, very good play, yet the denouement stops short of the full force of its tragic aims. We are curious. We are
fascinated even. But not as moved as we might be. With a little more development, this could be a bona fide American classic.
THEATRE: DRAMA
“The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King”: Now-Apr. 29 @ Atwater Village Theatre
By Patrick Meissner
Tracey A. Leigh, Philip Casnoff (standing), Theo Perkins
(Credit: Maia Rosenfeld)
Infused with a highbrow intellect, “The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King” is a highly cerebral exploration into issues
of modern race. Following the rise and fall of the play’s tragic hero, a university professor named Simon, the play
culminates as an authentic, even self-aware Greek tragedy, contained in the confines of a small college town.
Professionally executed and genuinely performed, Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA’s presentation of “The Many Mistresses
of Martin Luther King” is a fitting production for such a provocative script.
Perhaps the most effective element of EST/LA’s production is the talent. In Los Angeles, a town where theater comes
second to film, it is not unusual to find shows where on-camera personalities unsuccessfully attempt to adapt their craft to
the stage. In this show, this is not the case. Well adept to the intricacies of performing for a live audience, this cast is
delightfully impressive as they inject the storyline with humor, emotion and thoroughly considered detail.
Centered on the efforts of lead Philip Casnoff, this show is really held together by the performances of the ancillary cast.
Two performances that particularly shined were that of Carlos Carrasco as Augustus, and Theo Perkins as Anquan.
Taking on the complicated role of the play’s antagonist, Carrasco displays his effectiveness as a veteran actor. Including
elements of detail to his action, composure and speech, Carrasco’s performance serves to remind the audience that this
cast has definitely spent a lot of time doing their homework.
Similarly, the performance of Theo Perkins as Anquan serves to lighten the mood and bring movement to the storyline.
Perkins’s delivery is impeccable, as he breaks the tension caused by complex emotions. Lighthearted and likeable,
Perkins has created a character that is not only relatable, but in many ways admirable. Watching him portray Anquan
feels like meeting someone that you already know. Perhaps that is why the character comes across so funny.
To complement the efforts of this well trained cast, the technical features of this production can also be described as
above average. The set itself is an eloquent example of modern day architecture combined with functional simplicity.
There are no moving pieces, no flying elements or scattered levels. Rather, the set walls are composed of classic,
suburban white siding and window frames with simple molding. The walls themselves are hung from the ceiling to give a
floating effect. A back wall with windowpanes lets in improvised natural light, so the feeling of the interior set is one that is
bright, welcoming and above all, thought-provoking.
Despite its decentralized location, tucked deep into a suburban neighborhood in Atwater Village, “The Many Mistresses of
Martin Luther King” is well worth the ticket price as well as the drive. Carefully collaborated elements of writing,
performance and tech come together to create a show that is both intriguing and entertaining. Indicative of the collective
talents of all those involved, “The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King” is a textbook example of how a quality theater
performance should be delivered.
"The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King" is playing now through April 29 at the Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas
Ave, Los Angeles. Tickets are $15-25, with pay-what-you-can nights also available. Purchase tickets online here, or by
calling (323) 644-1929.
The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King
an original play by Andrew Dolan
Directed by Rod Menzies
and presented by Ensemble Studio Theatre of Los Angeles
TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 2012
The writer of this premiere I think might appreciate the following sentiment, as I've seen it often in LA: a play
about social issues will typically get a great review or a pass by reviewers simply because it's about social issues
relevant to our time and place. Issues do not make a play great. Likewise, simply attempting to turn an issue on
it's head does not make a play great. The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King is an incredibly well produced
play. The acting is top notch, the direction is very competent and inventive, the set, lighting and sound design
are some of the most professional I've seen in LA, the writing is intelligent, clever and involving. My first time
seeing a show at EST Los Angeles, and I'm without a doubt impressed. In spite of all of this, the show itself falls
short of being great. It has all the necessary elements, but doesn't quite know how to piece them together to
make them impactful or to create a relevant whole.
This is a play about the anger and honesty of the misunderstood white man and the people who assume he's racist
because of it. Great! It's as provocative as the title, kind of. It pretends to be as provocative as the title, which
honestly didn't provoke me that much. I'll explain. The main character, Simon (Philip Casnoff), male, white, late
40's, the voice of the play is a supposed provocateur; a professor that lost tenure for writing his request for
tenure in crayon simply to make a point. He's hyper-intelligent, more so than those surrounding him, and has the
ego of a God. The play asks us if he's a tragic character. A character asks him this at the end, he dreams that he
is, a cleverly created Greek chorus implies that he might be. But the only mistake he makes throughout the show
is that he's a prick. He cares so passionately about what he believes that he doesn't allow for any other opinions
to be relevant. Okay, so that makes him a prick, but it doesn't make him wrong in what he believes. It doesn't
make him uncaring or inhuman. The tragedy here is that people are so ingrained with what they are told to
believe that any dissent from that or anyone who asks a question putting those beliefs under scrutiny is
immediately thrown on the fire and thought of as evil or racist - the type of arguments I see thrown around on
Facebook all the time. Great. Outstanding point. An appropriate critique of the world and how it works. But
having a great point also does not make for a great play. Stay with me...
The writer, Andrew Dolan, sets Simon up with a younger black wife, a bright student of his, Lashwana (Tracey A.
Leigh), who is not afraid to tell him he's full of shit. It's why he's attracted to her. Her brother Anquan (Theo
Parks) has been put on probation from school for stealing an iPod from another student - I will take the leap and
buy that (You get the feeling this is a very conservative, politically correct college campus.) - and is staying with
them, because he doesn't want to go back to his family living in a rough part of town. They have invited over one
of Simon's fellow ex-teachers Augustus (Carlos Cassasco) and his wife Janine (Judith Moreland), both of whom are
black, and for reasons that really have no emotional relevance to the story - it's simply a reason to get them all in
the same room. You have one white man espousing his ideas of the black culture and where that culture is at and
what the real problem is while surrounded by black people. Both sides have valid arguments. Simon is willing at
times to admit this and even apologize for his candidness and anger; the other four are not willing in any way to
admit that Simon has valid points because he is, after all, white.
The first half of the play was exceptional, it handles all of this with competence, wit, heart and fire. Here's
where the play loses me: Yes, Simon is white, but he's quick to point out that he was a social worker for nine
years in a poor, black neighborhood. That's it. The play leaves it at that. That's as much as we get to know about
Simon and why he is the way he is. Mr. Casnoff, along with no doubt excellent direction, fills in the blanks
beautifully, bringing a level of dimension to the character that is not in the writing, as do the other performers.
But that's the problem, through the writing we never get to know who these characters are. In the end it's
literally black and white. The joy of seeing O'Neill, Shephard is that we not only get to the heart of the theme or
argument, but we get to see the hearts of the characters exposed. Not just their ire or passion, but why it exists.
In the end, while I understand Simon's arguments, I don't understand Simon, and that can be said for all of the
characters in this show, except for Anquan. He has the fewest lines in the play, yet we see who he is in the
beginning, we hear why he is that way, and we see how the events in the play effect or don't effect him. He is a
fully developed character with a clear arch. It doesn't take much. For Simon, all it would have taken is a few
more brush strokes, what happened to him during those 9 years as a social worker, but we're left to guess. And
because we have to guess, the drama of the show suffers. Yes, there are still incredibly effective moments
throughout, brought on by intelligent and creative directing and palpable performances, but we're only allowed
to see shadows of who these people are, and never truly begin to understand them.
The biggest problem with the play is the macguffin, the book itself that Simon writes and publishes, "The Many
Wives of Martin Luther King". I cannot begin to tell you what the purpose of it was or why Simon wrote it, except
to provoke his readers, but I don't buy that. There's too much passion instilled in Simon for that to be true. Maybe
he's simply tired of a single train of thought that really isn't getting us anywhere, so he's shaking the boat, much
like Andrew Dolan is trying to do. So delve into that. Don't simply allow Simon to tells us what he thinks is wrong,
but let us hear those outlandish ideas about what should be done about it, something that could really, truly get
him in trouble for saying. Instead we get to hear an argument that's familiar. Dolan doesn't give the audience
credit in this regard; he's not the first to make this argument. In the end, like Simon, Dolan has forgotten the
hearts of the people he's writing about, who they are as individuals. They shouldn't exist on the page and on stage
just to make a point.
In spite of these drawbacks, there is much to like about the production, particularly as I've mentioned the
layered performances, the beautifully written, often funny and striking dialogue and the atmospheric and
balanced direction. Some of the hopping around in time killed a little of the emotional continuity - a minor
complaint. No doubt Dolan has talent as a writer, I hope with his next piece he works on the core of the
characters as much as he does the thesis of the argument. Until that happens, the arguments presented remain
slightly convoluted and in the end lacking a level of thoughtfulness and weight.
The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King. Written by Andrew Dolan. Directed by Rod Menzies. March 17 - April 29, 2012. Fri + Sat
8pm, Sun 2pm and 7pm. Ensemble Studio Theatre of Los Angeles, 3269 Casitas Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90039. (323) 644-1929. For
more info: ensemblestudiotheatrela.org