Topdog/Underdogis not a subtle play.
Before the show starts, the stage is covered in a worn American flag curtain.
That character is named Booth.
Corey Hawkins (left) and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in ‘Topdog/Underdog’.Marc J. Franklin
His brother is named Lincoln.
Without spoiling anything, the inevitable happens, even without the setting of Ford’s Theater.
Top Dog/Underdogis not a subtle play.
Corey Hawkins in ‘Topdog/Underdog’.Marc J. Franklin
And that’s a good thing.
If it were subtle, it would not be as watchable, or entertaining.
Suzan-Lori Parks' words sing off the page.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in ‘Topdog/Underdog’.Marc J. Franklin
You give her yr number.
The phone number of yr phone.
Lincoln: Whats 3?
Corey Hawkins (left) and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in ‘Topdog/Underdog’.Marc J. Franklin
The off-Broadway production starredDon CheadleandJeffrey Wright, with the rapper Mos Def replacing Cheadle for the Broadway run.
But at the time of its debut,Topdog/Underdogwas probably unlike anything thenotoriously white Great White Wayhad heard before.
And it requires two actors who can do its lyricism justice.
Corey Hawkins (left) and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in ‘Topdog/Underdog’.Marc J. Franklin
This is his idea of the straight and narrow (“It’s a sit down job.
With benefits.")
after he gave up his life of hustling three-card monte.
Mateen as Booth is the younger, wilder brother, intent on taking up the cards Lincoln left behind.
This is their inheritance.
Though they are their only family, the brothers have a complex, contentious relationship.
Their father gave them their names as a joke.
Still, Hawkins and Mateen have a camaraderie on stage that makes their fraternal bond feel real.
There has to be in order for this to succeed.
This show requires two strong leads wholly depending on each other.
While that may sound like a lofty premise, not a lot happens inTopdog/Underdog.
However, they both lose.
But the years have changed them, changed their dynamic.
It may not be subtle, but at least it’s effective.
Even after 20 years.A
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