Thursday was opening night of ‘Thurgood’ by George Stevens, Jr. at The Public Theater of San Antonio but this production is virtual only. It will run until Sunday January 24, 2021 with performances on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30p.m. and Sunday at 2p.m. Tickets are available online. Thurgood Marshall was an American lawyer and civil rights activist who served as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from October 1967 until October 1991. He was the Court’s first African American justice but before that, he successfully argued several cases before the Supreme Court, including Brown v. Board of Education. ‘Thurgood’ depicts the life of Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court justice and his role in the historic decision on the Brown v. Board of Education case. This is a story rich in history, humanity, and humor.
‘Thurgood’ is one-man show with Marc Pouhé portraying the title role of the civil rights activist and Supreme Court justice. Strictly a biographical account of the life of Thurgood Marshall, it starts off with a slide show of the civil rights era after which Pouhé’s Marshall casually walks onto the set. He is excited to share his life story with the audience and begins with this childhood and how he was named after his grandfather but ended up shortening his name. His early life is not the focus even though he tells entertaining stories of growing up. He quickly shifts to his experiences in law-school after sharing how his mother had to pawn her wedding and engagement rings to pay the tuition. Most of the time is spent on the circumstances surrounding the Brown v. Board of Education case and how he used the equal protection of the law clause of the fourteen amendment to argue the case, or as he calls it, “Jim Crow deluxe,” using the separate but equal logic to demand truly equal schools for blacks. The 1954 decision concluded that separate but equal has no place because facilities are by nature unequal.
Ahead of Black History Month, ‘Thurgood’ is an excellent production to familiarize audiences with the highlights of Thurgood Marshall’s legislative career. It runs for an hour and a half with no intermission and may contain themes and content not suitable for all audiences, including various uses of the ‘n word.’ The simple set consists of a desk and chair with a pitcher of water, a glass, and sheets of paper besides it. There were a couple of glitches on the sound at the beginning but everything smoothed out a few minutes later. One of the highlights is when he makes his point on how segregation has detrimental effects on black children and uses the white vs brown doll test as as example; when questioned, most black children chose the white doll when asked which one looked nicer. His conclusion: “children learning together side by side is the best hope for this country.” Marc Pouhé’s portrayal of Thurgood Marshall grabs the audience’s attention with his commanding yet calming tone. ‘Thurgood’ is a well-balanced retelling of his personal life and legislative career, his humorous side evident when he declares “I expect to die at the age of 110 – shot by a jealous husband.” It is definite must-see.
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