If a man is defined by his actions, then Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall is a man of history.
The play “Thurgood,” by playwright George Stevens, Jr., chronicles major events of Marshall’s life. The 95-minute narrative follows Marshall’s law career and role in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which ended segregation in schools. The play culminates in Marshall’s role as the first African American to become a Supreme Court justice.
As Thurgood, the only character in the play, Laurence Fishburne (“The Matrix”) interacts with the audience by breaking the fourth wall and acknowledging the audience’s presence. The play ends up becoming less of a show and more of a conversation, allowing the audience to build a rapport with the character of Thurgood. Instead of becoming enraptured with the story of this man’s life, viewers become enraptured with the man himself.
The simplicity of the setting also helps to narrow the focus on the character rather than the surroundings. Only a long brown table and a few chairs scatter the stage, representing a classroom at Howard University, which Thurgood attended. In the background, a screen flashes images of the American flag and photographs of the Civil Rights Movement and the Supreme Court, which accompany Thurgood’s speech.
Further aiding the narrative are sound bites that play each time Thurgood transitions to another event in his life. These soundbites range from mundane things, such as glasses clinking together to represent Thurgood’s time as a waiter, to a recording of the Supreme Court justices announcing their decision in the Brown v. Board of Education case. Ultimately, these sounds help to make the audience feel as if they are reliving the memory of Thurgood despite not seeing any actual scene taking place before them.
The play’s emotional impact comes from the subtle performance by Fishburne, who doesn’t overact when he talks about Marshall’s failures or tragedies. Instead, Fishburne gives insight into the depth of the character. For example, when talking about the death of Marshall’s first wife, Fishburne does not shed any tears. Rather, he affects a slight quiver in his voice to convey the deep heartbreak of the main character.
Fishburne’s voice is also what gives life to the character, as well as what signals the various stages of Thurgood’s life. Fishburne is able to transition from youth to old age by the changing of his voice. Initially clear, loud and booming in Thurgood’s youth, Fishburne’s voice gradually descends in tone, becoming raspier. Audiences are left with a man whose life has passed before their eyes, who barely speaks above a whisper.
This play is worth seeing not because it is a play that brings to life a man who shaped history, but because it is a play that brings to life history itself.