Reviewed by Tony Annicone
Gamm Theatre’s opening show of their 39th season is “Topdog/Underdog,” the 2002 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Suzan-Lori Parks, the first African-American woman to win the prize. In 2023 this show won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. This play is about brotherly love, sibling rivalry, and surviving the American Dream. The story centers on two fiercely competitive African-American brothers with a troubled past who share a room in a squalid boardinghouse. The two brothers are Lincoln and Booth. Lincoln is an ex-card shark now working a “straight” job impersonating Abraham Lincoln at an arcade, while Booth is a petty thief set on surpassing his older brother’s reputation as a notorious three-card Monte hustler. Director Cliff Odle casts these two roles splendidly and elicits multilayered performances from both actors. They fully embody these two characters, displaying what makes them the way they are. The audience discovers where they’ve been and how each has either changed or stayed the same. It examines how these two brothers live in dire economic circumstances and how they try to navigate them differently. As Lincoln and Booth, Anthony Goss and Marc Pierre display great depth of emotions as these two siblings. Their brilliant performances propel the audience to their feet at the end of the show. Bravo on jobs well done.
Cliff blocks the show marvelously and keeps the action and energy flowing from both actors all night long to keep the audience riveted. He is aided in his task by the fantastic theatre in the round set designed by Michael McGarty, the wonderful costume design by Liza Alexis, excellent lighting by Jeff Adelberg, and top-notch sound design by Hunter Spoede. Both production manager Jessica Hill Kidd and stage manager James Kane keep things running smoothly. The theatre in the round gives the show a feeling of being trapped in your small environment, hoping for a chance to get out and achieve your dreams. What a fabulous way to kick off the 39th season.
It is a Cain and Abel type of story where Booth spends his days lifting goods from stores and practicing the card game hustle. He tries to get Lincoln to join him in these misdeeds, but Lincoln wants to walk the straight and narrow. He does honest work as an Abraham Lincoln impersonator at an arcade where mostly white people shoot at him. The show is mixed with humor, shame, guilt, and despair. It entrances you with its empathy for the plight of these two men. They both shine in these two roles.
Anthony Goss is dynamic as Lincoln as he captures the humanity of a man who wants to become a better person and leave his shady ways behind him. His strong, charismatic performance is reminiscent of a young Eddie Murphy (the Dreamgirls Murphy). He handles his enormous amount of dialogue excellently. Especially impressive is his breakdown scene at the end of Act 1, where he thinks he has to return to the 3 card Monte game. It is handled beautifully, stunning the audience. Anthony keeps the audience’s attention as to whether he’s forgotten his wayward past or if he’s pulling the wool over his brother’s eyes. He also has many comic moments to lighten the mood every now and then. Anthony studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in NYC.
Marc Pierre is also brilliant as the hot-headed younger brother, Booth, who wants to make a name for himself as a card shark and win back his girlfriend, Grace. Both brothers were abandoned by their parents at the ages of 16 and 11, were given their names as a joke, and given $500 each as their inheritance. Marc is hilarious at the start of Act 2 as he enters the scene in a huge woolen parka that hides all the clothing items he’s stolen from a department store. Marc also delivers strong dramatic prowess when he melts down when Grace doesn’t show up for a date and demands Lincoln teach him the card game before Grace moves into the apartment. I first reviewed him in “Gloria” and “Octoroon” at Gamm, and he once again delivered the goods in this electrifying show. So, for some magnificent acting and direction, be sure to catch “Top Dog, Under Dog” which starts off the 39th season of Gamm Theatre with a bang. Their website is gammtheatre.org. We see how when you joke about people’s names, it can lead to a lifetime of sibling rivalry and resentment. The audience observes what that can lead to in this compelling show.
TOP DOG, UNDER DOG (7 September to 1 October)
GAMM Theatre, 1245 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI
1(401)-723-4266
