| Underground
Railroad Game.
Written by Scott Sheppard and Jennifer Kidwell,
directed by Taibi Magar.
Ars Nova, 511 West 54th Street, New York City.
866-811-4111. http://www.arsnovanyc.com/
Opened Sept 13, 2016, closes Nov 11, 2016.
Reviewed by Lucy Komisar Oct 29, 2016.
This is not a children’s game. It is a riveting, compelling,
inventive dissection of slavery, the underground railroad, the civil
war and racism. In fact, “riveting, compelling, inventive”
is a good description of Ars Nova, which presents this play and also
created “The Comet of 1812,” the Off-Broadway hit just
opening on Broadway.
The Underground Railroad Game comes out of the experience of Scott
Sheppard, one of the two creator/performers, who in the 5th grade
participated in a unit about the civil war that divided students into
Union and Confederate soldiers. But this is much more. And definitely
not for 5th graders. If the underground railroad gives people the
sense of, “at least there was a silver lining” to slavery,
this production puts the real story out, with in-your-face realism.
Taibi Magar’s powerful direction is bereft of illusions. And
the actor/writers are superb in their roles.
 |
| Scott Shepard as Quaker and Jennifer Kidwell
as slave. Photo by Ben Arons. |
It starts innocently enough. A black woman (Jennifer Kidwell) is terrified
when a man with a lantern (Scott Sheppard) enters the barn where she
is hiding. But it’s okay, he’s a Quaker and this is the
underground railroad.
Then audience members are instructed to locate the packets stuck to
seat bottoms in which there are miniature blue or gray toy soldiers.
They’ll be asked to wave them at times. Stuart, the teacher,
says, “Go blue! If you can successfully move one of these slaves
to all of the classrooms in the 5th grade web, you will earn a bonus
100 points for your team and these slaves get to Canada.” Caroline
cheers, “Union, union, union!”
It’s a fun game, no? With subtle satire. Suddenly, the music
turns to the 50s tune, “Misty.” “Look at me, I’m
as helpless as a kitten up the tree.” So, how tough is that?
Slaves are OK in a safe house; outside, they can be taken to prison.
And teacher Caroline explains, “If at any time you start to
feel unsafe, we do have a code word and that word is, “sojourner.”
More pop music. How cool can that get?
 |
| Scott Sheppard as slave owner and Jennifer Kidwell
as Miz Annabelle. Photo by Ben Arons. |
But a shift to the spiritual, “Wade in the water children,”
and we see the silhouette of slave with a high skirt. We are going
to learn about plantations, cotton and tobacco, and about the slaves
who work in the big house.
Caroline will become Miz Annabelle. She sings “Motherless
Child” and pulls off her shawl. Stuart’s character sucks
on her breast. Then he goes under her skirts. No, not for the 5th
grade.
Classroom fantasy becomes reality. She tells him they are playing
a dangerous game. “Those words don’t mean the same thing
to me that they do to you. You’re not listening to yourself.”
Scott: Okay, fine. Well, what are we doing?
Jennifer: Reveling in the past.
Scott: Are we reveling in it, or learning from it?
Jennifer: I’m not sure.
 |
| Scott Sheppard as teacher taking Jennifer Kidwell
as Caroline from a safe house. Photo by Ben Arons |
Racism is ever present. A safe house sign has been defaced. The word
“niggerlover” is scrawled in a student’s handwriting.
Caroline says the words hurt. And then there is a fascinating playacting
lesson.
Stuart says, “we the white people do not understand the horror
that it is to be a minority.” Suddenly, he declares his love
for her. Then violence erupts. Stuart/a man attacks Caroline with
the American flag.
So role reversal, starting with embrace, kissing, sexual touching
and then she hits him with a stick. “I haven’t begun to
punish you yet.” He is in black underwear and socks. He is in
sex detention.
He raises an arm. “What broad shoulders you have.” She
moves the ruler across his body and down his arm. She smacks him,
“Ah, ah, ah. And what big hands you have…. Legs. Spread
them. Mm, they look fit.” It’s a slave auction!
“How well do you move…dance for me.” She pulls down
his underwear. And more than I describe here. It is his utter slave
humiliation.
The school bell rings. Caroline declares, “We lived firsthand
what it was like to be a slave in the big house.”
No, they didn’t, not in that 5th grade class. Not really in
a traditional American school.
At the end, the teachers urge the audience to sing the “Battle
Hymn of the Republic.” The words stick in my throat. Little
glory there. But a brilliant commentary by Scott Sheppard and Jennifer
Kidwell on what white Americans think they know and what black Americans
do know about slavery.
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