Brandon Gill and Brandon Micheal Hall in Topdog/Underdog (Photo – Jeff Lorch)
Pasadena Playhouse has opened its newest production, Topdog/Underdog, playing through March 23. Parks made history as the first Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for this drama in 2002.
By Carol Germain
There are just two characters in Topdog/Underdog: brothers “Booth” (played by Brandon Gill) and “Lincoln” (played by Brandon Michael Hall), who it seems were given those names by their parents as a joke. They endured an early childhood of financial hardship, as well as parental abuse and neglect, until eventually both parents deserted them. This affected every stage of their lives.
The brothers made their way living the hustling and boosting life. Booth’s expertise was shoplifting (his skill at packing his ill-gotten goods so strategically that he could conceal a shopping card’s worth of items in his clothing is hilarious). Lincoln’s “line of grift” is hustling his three-card monte skills on the street, having no trouble attracting curious marks who think they can beat him. He has honed his sleight of hand and pattering skills to master’s level, verbally as well as visually.
Eventually Lincoln gets married, and the brothers finally make a decision to “go legit.” Lincoln takes a job playing Abraham Lincoln in a bizarre local attraction where he sits in a replica of Ford’s Theatre balcony and visitors can buy a ticket to shoot him with a fake gun from the position John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln, at which point he has to fall forward and play dead. Brother Lincoln’s justification for accepting the job is simple – it’s a day job, he gets paid regularly, and he can just sit and think, his wife’s departure from the marriage being the main focus of his thoughts.
He assumes Booth has taken a legal path as well, since he has managed to acquire a dingy one-room basement flat with no running water, no private bathroom, and one bed. But it’s apparent Booth has some personal issues that keep him from holding a legitimate job, so he continues his shoplifting and dreams of being a card shark. He obsessively practices his more talented brother’s skills, but he can’t seem to reach that level, so he remains in his dingy ghetto apartment living a fantasy and remaining alienated from the real world.
Topdog/Underdog starts when Lincoln comes to live with Booth, and their differences and lack of privacy slowly grind at each other, until they face the friction and every secret, point of view, and distorted memory jumps them into an irreversible train of truth, headed for a devastating confrontation.
I wholeheartedly recommend seeing Topdog/Underdog to experience the powerful and moving journey of these two complex characters. Brandon Gill as Booth and Brandon Michael Hall as Lincoln bring a remarkable sensitivity to their roles, perfectly capturing the depth of pain and yearning these characters.
Topdog/Underdog at Pasadena Playhouse (Photo – Jeff Lorch)
Topdog/Underdog
Written by Suzan-Lori Parks
Directed by Gregg T. Daniel
Cast: Brandon Gill and Brandon Michael Hall
Until March 23
Fridays: 4/7, 4/14, 4/21, 8:00 pm
Saturdays: 4/8, 4/15, 4/22, 2:00 and 8:00 pm
Pasadena Playhouse
39 S. El Molino Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91101
626-356-7529
Tickets: online at pasadenaplayhouse.org, by phone at 626-356-7529, and at the Box Office.
Parking: There is a parking garage on El Molino across from the entrance, as well as a convenient lot directly behind the theater at 44 S. Madison.
Brandon Micheal Hall (Photo – Jeff Lorch)
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