Oh, how one could get lost in symbolism!
Topdog/Underdog was written by Suzan-Lori Parks and developed on the precipice of Y2K. For the first time in a long time, America found itself with a budget surplus, and a government debating about how to spend “alla dat” money. Bush and Gore fought for the presidency, ushering in speeches on how to best capitalize on our robust economy. Internet commerce was growing and remained exciting new terrain.
Fear of the Y2K systems bug grumbled in the bellies of a people filled with the light and hope of our America and our “DREAM.” Despite this, Black Americans at this same time were being targeted and incarcerated at alarming, systemically engineered paces. Black voting rights were being targeted and there was backlash against affirmative action. The “War on Drugs” ramped up to perpetuate the myth of Black super-predators, while the ever-growing racial wealth gap was wide enough for every Black American descendant of the enslavement to have the 40-acres and a mule that was never delivered.
This is where we find our two brothers, aptly named Lincoln and Booth, in Topdog/Underdog.
I became very invested in the macrocosm of the American Dream; The nuclear family, loving relationships, and financial success. It intrigued me to see it rubbing up against the realities of these two brothers being representative of Black maleness and structural disparities, trying to “make a dollar out of 15 cents,” scratchin’ and surviving, when the cards were literally stacked against them from birth. Lincoln being the “Topdog,” symbolic of our “Great Emancipator,” and Booth the “Underdog,” likened to the enslaved, clawing and hanging on for dear life to Lincoln’s promise of freedom that ended up being a game of 3-card monte that all were destined to lose. And believe me, the masterful words of Parks on the page are a virtual treasure trove of theatrical breadcrumbs. I wanted to pull out as much symbolism that my socio-political focused mind could muster.
I feverishly searched for what Parks had to say about all of this.
And you know what she said?
She said it is a play about, “Brothers, family, and being yourself.” She said it is a “Dissection of how we behave around each other.” She added it is about, “The layers of personality that are required to get through the day. The roles we play to make ends meet.”
And I said, “Oh… ok… duh! I’ll focus on the brothers.”
May we all examine the expense of our relationships and who we become to maintain our lives, masks, and humanity.
Amina Robinson
Director of Topdog/Underdog
