11th Play - The Brothers Size by Tarell Alvin McCraney
Manny Buckley (Ogun Size) and Patrick Agada (Oshoosi Size) at Steppenwolf in Chicago in 2019. Photo: Michael Brosilow
This play is part of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Brother/Sister Plays. I read the first play in the series, In the Red and Brown Water, a few years ago to work on in a class I was team-teaching. Since I somehow managed to get my hands on a copy of this second play, it was time to read it!
Summary: “In the Louisiana bayou, big brother Ogun Size is hardworking and steady. Younger brother Oshoosi is just out of prison and aimless. Elegba, Oshoosi's old prison-mate, is a mysterious complication. A simple circle defines a world that begins in ritual and evolves into a tough and tender drama of what it means to brother and be brothered. Flights of poetry, music, dance and West African mythology combine in a contemporary tale that explores the tenuousness of freedom and the need to belong somewhere, to something, to someone.” Dramatist Play Service
Laura’s thoughts in brief: At first, McCraney’s plays are a bit of an intimidating read. There are references to West African Yoruba mythology, the lines are frequently highly poetic, the characters speak the stage directions, and it hurts my brain a little. After a few pages, though, the humanity of the characters shines through and I am hooked. None of the things that started as overwhelming matter any more. As a matter of fact, those things lift the writing to a higher level than many plays. McCraney is truly a master of his craft. Reading the reviews, it feels like most productions choose to tell this story using ritualized music and choreography. I … really wish I had seen that; it sounds amazing. I wish I had seen it at Steppenwolf in 2010, and I wish I had seen their Theatre for Young Adults remount in 2019. I noticed that several of the reviews commented on the use of the N-word and “coarse” language in the play, but, get over yourself people, this is the language of these characters. Ridiculous - it’s part of the poetry, even if it offends your privileged ears. This is not my story to tell, but I hope I get a chance to see a strong production of it one day. And obviously, I now have to read the final play in the trilogy: Marcus: Or the Secret of Sweet. Highly recommended.
READ MORE! Here’s what others had to say about productions:
https://www.denverpost.com/2013/03/20/theater-review-brothers-size-is-coarse-but-transcendent/