Thurgood on Broadway

What a powerful performance by Lawrence Fishburne in Thurgood! In this one man play, Fishburne brings to us the personal and triumph story of the late Thurgood Marshall. From his humble beginnings in Maryland to being seated as the first black Justice on the Supreme Court, this depiction of Marshall really captured my attention. The play itself is an hour and a half with no intermission. I was mesmerized right from the very beginning and could have easily sat for more of Thurgood's story. I was sitting in fourth row stage right...so close that I could see the mists of saliva as Fishburne delivered his lines. Actually he did more than just deliver lines...he transformed himself into Marshall. Had one not known he is a prominent distinguished actor, you would swear he actually experienced the path Marshall took. This may sound weird but at times I felt as if he (Fishburne) was staring at me. In doing so I felt especially connected to what I was witnessing and hearing. The writing was very strong and the flow fluid and personable. Graphics displayed on the white, bright backwall of the stage aided in the ambiance. I will tell my father to definitely go see this before the run is over. My mother would like it also but since she limits herself in terms of travelling to the city I'm sure she won't get to see it unless it's at the BAM.

There were start sightings too. I was reading in the Playbill about Patrick Stewart and who walks into the theater??? Patrick Stewart! He was sitting center stage in the same row as me. He's a fantastic actor as well. I missed his performance in Hamlet at the BAM but hopefully he'll be back to Brooklyn on many occasions. I also saw Jaleel White aka Urkell in Mezzanine. He looked good in his suit. In terms of casual observances, it was a very mixed crowd which was good. I am always inclined to believe that when there is a play or production centered around a black cast, very few mixed crowds occur. I'm glad to see my theory was proven incorrect. There were a lot of older white men in the audience. Probably lawyers. LOL. O.K. I better go. BTW...I slept really well...good stretch from midnight to 6am. I still feel like I need about another two hours but at least that was more consecutive time than previous nights. More later.