Playwright: Marcus Gardley. At: Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets: 773-871-3000 or www.victorygardens.org; $15-$60. Runs through May 3
Marcus Gardley's world premiere drama An Issue of Blood: An Historical Parable is sure to inspire some heated debateespecially over the final tableau with a button-pushing audio montage. Many will see this coda as heavy-handed and obvious, while others will argue that it ties together what Gardley was trying to explore in equating American colonial history to modern day U.S. race relations.
Either way, the quick substitution of An Issue of Blood into Victory Gardens' 2014-15 season was certainly a leap of faith on the part of artistic director Chay Yew, who also directs the powerfully acted production. Yet An Issue of Blood doesn't entirely feel fully cooked as it was rushed to the table.
Originally scheduled in this season spot was Marcus Gardley's developing Great Migration drama A Wonder in My Soul. But Gardley asked Yew for a substitution since he wanted to respond to the news cycle stories on African-American men being killed by cops in places like New York and Ferguson, Mo.
With An Issue of Blood, Gardley explores how the roots of racism in the United States stretch back to 1676 colonial Virginia, when there was a slave and indentured servant revolt. Here its class and wealth and not skin color that is the major dividing line between those who toiled in servitude and those who wielded power.
How Gardley explores this divide is by creating a worldly and highly educated Black man named John Israel First ( a handsome and imperious Tosin Morohunfola ), who is the son of the historical wealthy plantation owner known as Negro Mary ( a brazenly eccentric and fierce Lizan Mitchell ).
Back from three years in England, Israel plans to marry and secure the freedom of the Irish servant Calla ( Eleni Pappageorge ). But there are complications since Calla is also pursued by the Constable Mason Esau ( Steve O'Connell ), while Negro Mary's indentured servants, husband and wife Dozens and Nova Goode ( the wonderfully sparring Clevant Derricks and E. Faye Butler ), know of plans for an impending servant and slave revolt.
Dramatically, Gardley knows how to construct a gripping story filled with snappy, characterful dialogue. But it is a bit of a jumble with many of historical details not feeling quite right. For instance, the characters wear a grab bag of American era styles by costume designer Izumi Inaba, while the dialects all sound more modern-day rather than what one imagines for the colonial United States.
So even if An Issue of Blood doesn't fully feel developed visually or stylistically, at least it's not boring, thanks to its strong performances. And even with its unsubtle ending, An Issue of Blood does serve as a potent reminder that the birth of U.S. oppression against Blacks does painfully stretch back to the country's colonial roots.