Hambone
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All the performances are superb, though A.C. Smith goes a bit over the top as Henry: when he bugs his eyes out after drinking a potion, it’s uncomfortably reminiscent of racist stereotypes of African-Americans as fools. Of course Henry is a fool, but like Falstaff he’s a fool with a serious purpose, and mugging undercuts that. Freeman Coffey has the solid authority necessary for Bishop even though Johnson doesn’t give him the dramatic legs to stand on for his big scenes in the second act. Anthony Fleming III as Tyrone and P. Francois Battiste as Bobbilee are both splendid, but Fleming gets more opportunity to show his range, from understated comedy (his “white” voice is a low-key gem) to numbed misery in the play’s final scenes. The parallels Johnson draws between the relationships of the older and younger men–illustrated in each case by a song they share–are lovely.
