Review: THE HIGHWAYMEN at History Theatre

Hats off to the artists seeking a theatrical way to tell the story of how one thriving African-American community was demolished in order to build part of the Eisenhower era highway system. The city here is Saint Paul, MN, but similar history can be found in plenty of places: Charlotte, NC; Baltimore, MD; Pittsburgh, PA, among them. That's the matter at the heart of a new play, THE HIGHWAYMEN, at the History Theater, directed by Jamil Jude.

It's an important case study, unpacking the actual mechanisms of systemic racism that continue to operate under the surface of our society. This text, by Yale-trained playwright Josh Wilder, takes us into the room where it happens: an anonymous wood-panelled conference room where three white men determine the route of I-94, a much needed high speed connection between the downtowns of the Twin Cities, Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The year is 1956.

There are two possible routes. One, slightly longer, parallels existing freight rail lines to the north. The other cuts directly through the Rondo, a self-sufficient neighborhood of Black-owned small businesses, where families own homes, supported by jobs as Pullman porters, maids, and factory workers in the surrounding areas. You can guess the outcome.

Originally the Rondo route was envisioned as a tree-lined parkway, designed to bring more traffic to the local storefronts and provide shaded gathering spots that could promote community. Or so we are told by the former city planner, George Herrold (Peter Thomson), who's been brought out of retirement to advise two current city employees on the route. He's pained to realize that his plan now looks likely to serve as the blueprint for the multi-lane divided high speed highway that will displace most Rondo residents and destroy the civil fabric of their neighborhood.

Try though he does, he can't convince George Shepard (James Detmar) or Frank Marzitelli (E.J. Subkoviak, in a brave, uncompromising performance) to leave the Rondo alone. Shepard wants to keep the peace, and stay on budget. Marzitelli is one generation away from his Italian immigrant roots and ambitious. He wants to rise in city government, despite his outsider status. He resents the power of the white establishment that he wants to join, and, under stress, doesn't bother with the genteel manners that camouflage their complacency and racism. Class divisions within white society are laid bare as the deliberations proceed.

This trio of white men is matched by a triad of African-American men, who are similarly well chosen to display the internal dynamics of their community. There's the preacher, Rev. Floyd Massey (Rex Isom, Jr.), who serves on a government commission but is left out of the real deliberations. There's the janitor, CJ (Darrick Mosley) whose house is attacked at night, to help drive him out and lower the property's value. There's the barber, Timothy Howard (Kevin D. West), whose shop is a prime location for talk of politics and general community affairs in the Rondo. A sharp observer of power dynamics, independent of church sanctimony, Howard calls it as he sees it.

The strongest moments in the show involve Howard confronting Herrold, who leaves white Saint Paul to visit the barber shop, after Howard crafts suggestions designed to make what the city fathers are planning less destructive. The eloquent barber makes it clear that Herrold is no hero, and calls out white northern liberals who see no connection between policies like those here and the overt Jim Crow racism of the American South.

Playwright Wilder has crafted some sharp lines to tell this necessarily talky story. There's an early toast to the 'democracy of automobiles' and a description of a crisp haircut as 'casket sharp.' His title is a terrific double entendre: On opening night, audiences reactEd Strongly to Herrold's pointing out that the dictionary defines highwaymen as robbers and killers.

As the play progresses through two acts, there are echoes of our contemporary dilemmas. The word 'temperament' comes up in regard to Frank, who is told by the other white men 'you can't go around starting fires with your tongue' and 'you need discernment, decorum, and a little bit of class.'

Thanks to a turntable, the play alternates scenes in the conference room with those in the barber shop, punctuated with occasional monologues delivered directly to the audience. As the play draws to a close, the contemporary references heap up, including mentions of water and environmental issues. There's a final montage with present day projections behind the barber's final angry monologue, which ends with the exhortation, "Keep your eyes open!'

This new play is unquestionably important and timely. I hope it sees more productions. Perhaps future iterations can rely more on telling actions (like the complexity of how a $10 bill is treated near the end of the show) and a little less on dialogue. Perhaps Wilder can find ways to pare down the monologues to their bones, while honoring the cadences and acid eloquence of his characters. Perhaps there is a way to avoid the erasure of women from the story.

The play runs through February 26 in Saint Paul. Fine dramaturgical work has been done to educate audiences about the historic Rondo in lobby displays and program notes. In the summer of 2017, a vacant lot near the highway will be repurposed as a commemorative plaza dedicated to keeping the legacy of the Rondo and its now dispersed community alive in the present.

photo credit: Scott Pakudaitis

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