American Son
Written by Christopher Demos-Brown
Directed by Kenny Leon
Starring Kerry Washington and Steven Pasquale
Booth Theatre
January 3, 2019
Production website
💉💉💉💉💉 out of 5.

This was by FAR the best play that I have seen in many months.  In only about 75 tight moments on stage this play prepares you for a kick in the gut that my entire row in the theatre AUDIBLE recoiled at the play’s conclusion.  It started with a slow wind-up as the mother (Kerry Washington) paces around the stage in complete agitated silence checking her cell phone again and again.  It seems like forever.  The lady next to me actually thought someone had forgotten to enter.  But the pain of the wait was oh so necessary.

We soon find out that we are in a police station in South Florida where Kendra is waiting to hear about her responsible son’s failure to come home that night.  She is frantic to find out news of his wellbeing and every visit of the officer on duty with so little information drives her more and more into despair.  A mother with a missing child – in the middle of the night – in the pouring rain – what a nightmare!

But she is a black woman – and should that matter?  To this play it matters most!   A young black man out there in the world faces a whole new set of prejudices that a white person just cannot understand – but this play does a mighty fine job of helping a white audience understand.

I have seen many plays deal with race issues – even race issue that involve a mixed family – but this play does it better than others.  Monstrous questions arise.  You have a most successful white father and an equally successful white mother.  What do you name your son?  They chose Jamal – but would he have a much better time if given the name Jay.  Is his black identity worth more than having an easier time in navigating the world without a “black name.”  Why would the son ever wear pants sagging down below his butt?  Doesn’t that make him a thug right there and an obvious target?  Get a belt.  Dress “appropriately.”   Fight for the black identity of the son – or just make it easier for the sun to navigate a word that just does have a prejudice?  At what price do you want to make a statement?

What was so powerful on stage was that we agreed with the view of the black mother – then we agreed more with the reasoning of her white husband – but the black cop has a good point – and still the white cop is just calling it as it is.  This play has you see race from many, many sides!

I will not give away the end of the play – but suffice it to say it ends with a prolonged scream that you will not soon forget.

In the language of the play – “do not worry about the thunder.  It is simply God taking pictures of the rain.” but I don’t know  – thunder can kill.