Review: THE GREAT KHAN at SF Playhouse
A traumatized black teen works his way through buffoonish white liberalism, racist oppression, a protective mother, and his desire to fight the good fight.
By: Steve Murray Oct. 28, 2021
The Great Khan
Written by Michael Gene Sullivan
Directed by Darryl V. Jones
SF Playhouse
A traumatized black teen works his way through buffoonish white liberalism, racist oppression, a protective mother, and his desire to fight the good fight against his repressors in Michael Gene Sullivan's well-crafted, fully realized fantasia. Opening their 19th season with this collaboration with the SF Mime troupe, director Darryl V. Jones turns Sullivan's witty cross millennial odyssey into a universal polemic on racism and stereotypes.
The protagonist is Jayden (Leon Jones), a nerdy teen ripped from his home and school after saving a girl from rape to save him from the culprits bent on revenge. Out of place in a new school, under performing and non-participating, he's visited at night by a menacing figure brandishing a gun- Ant, the girl he rescued. She wants him to know that she's not weak and didn't need saving. Jamella Cross (Ant) plays tough, but its clear she's desperate for connection, feeling she's being treated with kid gloves after her near rape.
At school, Jayden confronts a teacher (Adam KuveNiemann) who tells him he's 'historically oppressed' (duh) but bright. He needs to fit in and write a report on Genghis Khan with a fellow student. Jayden questions the established white view of history, written by the winners and reflecting their viewpoints. Can the teacher name twenty famous black people, non-entertainers or sports figures? The answer is no.
Goa-Ming (Kina Kantor) is the awkward Asian student paired with Jayden on the project. She's another outsider like Jayden and ant; teens who do not fit in. She provides the backstory of the Great Khan, a story that will whip Jayden into a frenzy of action and cultural pride. Jayden's mother Crystal (Velina Brown) is protective, hip and struggling to raise a son as a single mom. Two wonderful, fully fleshed supporting roles.
Enter Temujin (Brian Rivera as Genghis Khan), also a nighttime intruder in Jayden's bedroom. At first Jayden is pumped at Khan's ruthless conquests and ability to re-write history as a winner. But as they become closer and closer, Khan shows another softer side more spiritual side and shows Jayden their similarities and mutual strengths.
Teaching Jayden that fear is just a reaction, both he and ant must overcome their traumas and not be defined by them also a metaphor for black pride. Jones get the most out of his cast, led by a sweet, innocent performance by Leon Jones as Jayden. I've been a follower of Michael Gene Sullivan as playwright or co-writer of over 20 SF Mime Troupe pieces, full of wildly exaggerated characters pushing to expose economic and social injustices. The Great Khan, with its gentle with and intelligent chiding of cultural stereotypes may be his best work yet.
The Great Khan runs through November 13th, 2021. Tickets available at (415) 677-9596 or at www.sfplayhouse.org.
Photo Credit: Lois Tema
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