Photos by Gloria Adame
American Son
By Christopher Demos-Brown
Directed by Kenja Brown
Produced by Theatre Arlington
Reviewed by Natalie Shaw
Have you had the talk with your kids yet? No, I'm not referring to the talk about the birds and the bees. I mean the talk where you discuss how they should behave in front of a police officer when they get pulled over, because, maybe, just maybe, your child looks suspicious or resembles someone else who has a warrant out for their arrest. The talk in which you tell them that they should remain calm and keep their hands where the officer can see them, even if the officer pulls a gun on them or tells them to get out of the car and proceeds to arrest them on account of them looking problematic. No? You haven't had that talk yet? Well, don't feel bad. I haven't either, but that's because I'm white. And that's never been something I've had to worry about. Don't get me wrong. I have conversations about police officers with my sons, but it's a very different conversation. We started talking about how policemen keep us safe from "bad people" and danger when they were three years old, but we never told them that the policeman might think THEY are the "bad guys" and take them to a police station to answer scary questions and make them stay in jail overnight until they were free to go. That kind of discussion doesn't go over well with preschoolers, or elementary schoolers. Come to think of it, that doesn't go over well with middle schoolers or high schoolers, either. But, what I'm happy to tell them is if they do something illegal and stupid, the police officer has every right to do the above mentioned. I don't expect to have to tell my child that they might get arrested for how they look, how they walk or how they talk. No parent should have to do that.
American Son tells the story of one couple, who've been separated for about four months. Kendra Connor (Jasmine Shanise) and Scott Connor (Rodney Honeycutt) are a bi-racial couple, Kendra being black and Scott being white. After their only son's car is identified by the police, and they are notified that the car was found at the scene of a crime, the couple immediately make their way to the Miami-Dade police station to find out where their son, Jamal, has gone. Is he in police custody? Did he flee the scene? Is he injured, or worse, dead? Tension rises between Kendra and Scott, as well as between the police and the couple, until our resolution is met. When Officer Larkin (Dan Abramson) proves to be less than helpful, the Connors look to Lieutenant Stokes (Tyrone King) for answers, who has no patience or tolerance for their erratic behavior and demand for answers, and little-to-no empathy for the situation that Jamal has found himself in.
Director Ken'ja L. Brown brings this heart-wrenching story to life with precision and beauty. Actors move about the set with intentional motivation, reflecting the strained relationships among them. Jasmine Shanise's Kendra is intellectually passionate about her rights, not easily manipulated and eager to put her picture-perfect life back together. Rodney Honeycutt's Scott asserts himself as the hierarchy of the police force and the voice of reason, until he's knocked down a peg or two by Tyrone King's Lieutenant Stokes, who reminds us whose park we're playing in. Stokes has seen it all among the black community and the white community in his jurisdiction and his judgments of them are immovable, unshakable, and often unfair, when it's time for criminals to face the music. Dan Abramson's Officer Larkin is decidedly squirmy and squirrely, as he struggles to shake off his novice ignorance when his expertise has reached its limit, especially when he forgets which lie he's told to whom and can't dig himself out of the grave he's dug for himself.
Set design by Kevin Brown is beautifully realistic, with fantastic attention to detail and thoughtful finishing touches. Brown has designed sets all over the DFW metro area including Stage West, OnStage in Bedford, Uptown Players, MainStage Irving-Las Colinas, Runway Theatre and Firehouse Theatre. Alongside Brown is Scenic Artist Wendy Searcy-Woode, who together have brought an incredible set to American Son, which boasts floating lights, block-style windows, and vinyl plastic seating, resembling the real Miami-Dade precinct police department.
American Son is poignant and thought-provoking, asking us to listen, validate and re-evaluate ourselves, individually and as a society. Indeed, it's much easier to deny and dismiss the experiences of others, but the easy road is not always the best road. Playwright Christopher Demos-Brown is asking us to go back to the drawing board with our criminal justice system and in our consideration of our fellow neighbor. I must entreat you-- see this show! EXPERIENCE this show! It is real, raw and life-altering!
Audience Rating: R for language and mature content
Running Time: 90 minutes with no intermission
Accessible Seating: Available
Hearing Devices: Available
Sensory Friendly Showing: Not Available
ASL Showing: Not Available
Noises and Visuals to Prepare For: Strong language, handcuffs used
Volume Level: Comfortable Volume
Y'all Enjoy!
Natalie Shaw
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