Bursting with big ideas, Topdog/Underdog earned Suzan-Lori Parks distinction as the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2002. Directed by Kent Gash, who helmed the Elliot Norton Award-winning production of Pacific Overtures, with scenic design by 2004 Tony winner Eugene Lee.

A darkly comic fable of brotherly love and family identity tells the story of Lincoln and Booth, two brothers whose names were given to them as a joke. The younger of the two, Booth, wants to be a legendary three-card monte street hustler like his brother. Lincoln has given up the street life to go legitimate as an Abraham Lincoln impersonator at an arcade. He dresses up in a beard, paints his face white, dons a stove-pipe hat, and allows patrons to “shoot” at him as if they were John Wilkes Booth. This thrilling comic-drama digs deep into the existential dilemmas of being African-American and male in the United States. Exploring how history defines us, the play tells a lifetime of sibling rivalry and resentment.

Strong language.

In association with Alliance Theatre Company, Atlanta, GA and Trinity Repertory Company, Providence, RI.

By Suzan-Lori Parks
BOSTON AREA PREMIERE

February 23 - April 2, 2005

Directed by Kent Gash**

Eugene Lee, scenic design
Alvin Perry, costume design
Liz Lee, lighting design
Justin Ellington, composer
Clay Benning, sound design
Cheryl D. Olszowka*, production stage manager
Jody Feldman, casting

CAST (in alphabetical order)

Diamonds Cast
Booth, Kes Khemnu*
Lincoln, Joe Wilson, Jr.*

Clubs Cast
Lincoln, Kes Khemnu*
Booth, Joe Wilson, Jr.*

(The actors will alternate the roles of Booth and Lincoln.)

Place: New York City

Jason Armit, fight coordinator
Scott DePoy, guitar consultant
Jonathan Brown, 3-card monte consultant

*member of Actors’ Equity Association
**Member of Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers

Read More about Topdog/Underdog:
A Conversation with Kes Khemnu and Joe Wilson, Jr.
Program Notes by Cory Elizabeth Nelson