Race

by Zija Lubin-West

Race, the newest David Mamet play (which he both wrote and directed), is a very bold piece of work. The writing is straightforward, and in the midst of all the bickering and anger, it is quite entertaining.

Jack Lawson is a cynical lawyer who is approached by a messed-up billionaire charged with raping a black woman. Lawson’s partner, Henry Brown, is a man of morals, but is by Lawson’s side most of the time. Susan, a young and eager intern with strong views, helps on the case. As the case unfolds, Lawson and his team uncover secrets about Brown and themselves.

The raked stage was an interesting choice. Though it was easier to see all of the actors onstage, it must have made it harder on the actors to move around. It is uncommon to have a raked stage in contemporary theatre.

The office took up the entire stage and was used very well. No one seemed to be moving just for the sake of it, or because that’s where they were told to go. Each of the actors seemed to really understand what they were saying and who their character was.

Though Race is bold, it is also very funny. This is a play that could easily offend people, but with the right crowd and the right attitude, it is a heavy and heavily humored show. 

TICKETS: $26.50 student rush • Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 243 W. 47th St.

Race Dramaturgy

by Jahnesha Huertas

David Mamet’s plays Oleanna, Race, and Speed-The Plow have countless similarities. Not only does Mamet shine light on the dynamics of power, class, and authority between men and women, but the driving catalyst of his plot is almost always the sinister actions of a female. Whether this is the manifestations of sexist views on the behalf of the playwright is not completely apparent. Mamet shows women using their assets and positions in society to take advantage of male authorities.

In Oleanna, Carol, is a college student who can't handle the pressures of college and seeks out extra help from her professor. She makes it very clear that it is unfair that the authorities who hold the power to decide if she fails are human beings just like herself - they are people who aren't less lacking in their perfections, so why do they hold so much power over her and society? Susan in Race is also a young woman, an intern to be exact, and is surrounded by men in the workplace. She is the one with less professional experience, yet she ends up being the biggest threat to the case. Karen in Speed-The-Plow portrays herself as pure and naïve and is significantly younger than Gould, the film producer, who is obviously attracted to her. She wants a film idea to be produced and she knows that she can use her sexuality to get what she wants. She is very honest and upfront with Gould about his desires and romanticizes his need for love as virtuous. She makes him think that they both are searching for the same thing.

Mamet has a very specific formula. All of these plays have only one woman in them and he places the female in a male-dominated atmosphere. Mamet gives most of the social and professional power to the men in his pieces. By making Carol the student, Susan the eager intern and Karen the secretary, they seem the least threatening. His plays communicate that still in today’s world, men hold most of the power. Mamet puts his female characters at different social statuses than their male counterparts to mirror the dynamics of authority in the real world and their efforts on their inferior subjects. Also, Mamet makes age a prominent factor in all the characters of his plays - the women are all the youngest.

Race takes this a step further by making race a prominent issue in the plot. One of Susan’s mentors is also black like herself. By doing this, Mamet makes the statement that gender trumps race. Even though both characters are black, Susan’s position does not hinder her efforts to stand up for the alleged rape victim - another black woman. Both characters are more married to the bigger picture than their current situations. They are willing to risk everything to prove a point. Even though the alleged rapist never commits foul play against Susan personally, she still wants to make him an example.

Susan’s character challenges the definition of right and wrong. She has a very strong feeling that the alleged rapist is indeed guilty, however, she doesn’t act on her strong emotions until after her mentor asks her to play the victim in a reenactment of the encounter. Such an act would be her admitting that a white man was innocent of the rape of another black woman. Susan believes that since the alleged rapist confessed to the crime, thus proving that he was guilty, all of her foul play up until that point simply does not count. Susan is actually an aid in uncovering the truth. Her male colleagues are loyal to their client, but not necessarily loyal to the truth. As lawyers, they aren't interested in revealing the truth, they only want to protect their version of the truth.

The female characters in Race, Oleanna, and Speed-The-Plow are more loyal to the principles of their life situations than to the situations themselves. Susan, Karen and Carol are interested in making a statement about justice and truth in the society that we live in and Mamet uses them as a literary device to not only forward the plot, but as a symbol. Mamet shows that though men do not hold all of the power, woman are still highly underestimated. Mamet's female characters show that it doesn’t matter how mature and professional a male may be - a younger woman who appears defenseless can fool any man into doing what she wants.

Race

by Jahnesha Huertas

David Mamet’s (playwright and director) new play Race will definitely keep fans of his past work (such as Oleanna) pleased as he once again puts his signature spin on society’s opinions of power and status.

The play begins with Charles Strickland, a white man charged with the rape of a black girl, coming to the law firm of Jack Lawson and Henry Brown. Lawson and Brown are suspicious that there is more to the story than Strickland is telling. Susan, the office intern, strongly feels that the suspect is guilty from the beginning. The debate goes into whether the alleged victim was a true lover of Strictland or if the whole ordeal was racially motivated. Secrets from Strictland’s past sprout up from nowhere, and Susan does everything in her power to make sure that justice is served.

Race puts a strong focus on the different interpretations that the white and black community puts on race, what is viewed as politically incorrect, and if foul play against a guilty person is justified. The fast and intense dialogue of the play is a pleasure to watch, however, some of the conversations seem very choppy and abrupt, as if the actors are reciting their lines mechanically and don’t fully internalize what they are saying.

The entire play takes place in the law firm and the only indication that we have of the passage of time are some minor costume changes. The set is kept simple to allow for more of an emphasize on the plot. The whole cast does a very good job of telling the story, however, James Spader (playing lawyer Jack Lawson) was the most dynamic onstage and portrayed a lawyer very naturally and realistically (perhaps because he played a lawyer on the TV series Boston Legal). 

Mamet’s newest play Race made me think about a question that I never paid much attention to before: If you are guilty of sinister acts against a guilty person, does that somehow make you less guilty?

HOW TO SEE THE SHOW: $26.50 student rush • Barrymore Theatre, 243 W. 47th St.