Arts

Elegant and Agonizing

by Jules Becker
Wednesday Jun 13, 2018

Red Velvet, O.W.I. (Bureau of Theatre), Plaza Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts, South End, through June 16. 617-933-8600 or bostontheatrescene

About a century before Paul Robeson's Othello, there was Ira Aldridge's. Aldridge, taking over the role from dying legend Edmund Kean at Covent Garden's Theatre Royal in 1833, became the first black actor to star in a Shakespearean tragedy at a London theater.

In 2012, British dramatist Lolita Chakrabarti focused not only on the racism-impacted controversy surrounding Aldridge's assumption of the role but also on the New York City-born actor's stage ascendance throughout Europe and especially Poland -where he died in 1867. Very fittingly, Cambridge-based O.W.I. (Bureau of Theatre)-which presented last year's visiting production-small stage IRNE Award-winning "American Moor"-is returning to the Boston Center for the Arts with the area premiere of Chakrabarti's resonant and timely play.

Anthem Theatre Company artistic director Bryn Boice is bringing the same poignant immediacy to Aldridge's singular odyssey that distinguished her all-female edition of "Julius Caesar" for Actors' Shakespeare Company last year.

In the intimacy of the BCA'S Plaza theatre, "Red Velvet" seems to take audience members backstage along with assertive journalist Halina, who attempts to question Aldridge as he prepares to play King Lear in an 1867 Lodz, Poland production.

Where gifted visiting IRNE-winning black actor Keith Hamilton Cobb in "American Moor" struggles to dispel what he sees as a theater world assumption that he is only right for the Shakespearean role of Othello, real life talent Aldridge-as the informative play documents-battles critics and colleagues biased against both his skin color and his naturalistic acting style throughout his career.

The African-American actor early on speaks to Halina and by extension to audience members of emigrating from America to Europe in the 1820's, frustrated at the bigotry and lack of acting opportunities confronting him in the States.

Notwithstanding a growing resume in the play's back story, bigotry emerges in the responses of some of Aldridge's peers as he takes over for Kean in the 1833 production. The great actor's son Charles-who is playing Iago in the run-contends that a black actor does not 'act' in playing Othello and makes the same dubious claim about a Jewish actor playing Shylock in "The Merchant of Venice."

Racist reactions to the strong physicality of Aldridge's performance and the actor's comfortable interaction with famed actress Ellen Tree-who plays Desdemona-put undue pressure on yielding company director Pierre LaPorte. Ultimately, "Red Velvet" stands as a clarion call to courage. There may be unnecessary modern references like "avant-garde," but Chakrabarti's play clearly resonates.

Director Boice has captured the elegant look of the proceedings that smartly complements Aldridge's personal majesty and yet contrasts with the ugly prejudice often challenging the determined actor. Credit goes to James Fenton's vivid backstage design, Becca Jewett's fine period costumes and Alexander Fetchko's nuanced lighting. Seth Hill captures Aldridge's strength of will and purpose in his body language as well as in his speech.

He also catches his alternating vulnerability and self-confidence as his professional fortunes evolve. Charlotte Kinder as Ellen Tree and Hill share good chemistry as they discuss their approaches to "Othello." Kinder finds the unassuming essence of Tree and her professional soundness. Spencer Parli Tew is properly pompous as Edmund Kean's son Charles and equally insensitive and arguably prejudiced.

Siobhan Carroll has the right persistence as journalist Halina and the unaffected personality of Aldridge's wife Margaret. Matt Arnold is convincingly ambivalent as conflicted director LaPorte.

O.W.I.,by virtue of three strong successive efforts-"Yellow Face"(dealing with anti-Asian bigotry), "American Moor" and now "Red Velvet"-has established itself as a company with singular attention to provocative diversity-endorsing fare. Director Boice, in her playbill notes, speaks of the racial divide widening daily during O.W.I. rehearsals. Embrace the rich fabric of "Red Velvet" and help to narrow that divide.