Center Stage’s opening production of the 2012-2013 season, Arthur Miller’s An Enemy of the People is an extremely relevant play in the face of the upcoming presidential election.
In An Enemy of the People, Dr. Stockmann (Dion Graham) discovers that the town water supply is poisonous.
However, because the town relies on these bathing springs as its primary source of industry, the mayor of the town (Kevin Kilner), who is Dr. Stockmann’s brother, tries to prevent him from publishing these findings in the public newspaper.
The mayor does not completely believe in Stockmann’s findings because he is unwilling to retest the water.
Therefore, throughout the course of the play, Dr. Stockmann confronts controversy as the mayor threatens the townspeople. Thus, the newspaper refuses to publish Dr. Stockmann’s findings, and by the end of the play, he and his family have become social outcasts because of their “intention” to destroy the town’s most profitable industry.
The play concludes with the deep sentiment, “the strongest man in the world is he who must stand alone.”
The director of this production, Kwame Kwei-Armah, made a very interesting casting choice by choosing an African-American, Dion Graham to portray Dr. Stockmann, and for a Caucasian man, Kevin Kilner, to portray his brother, the mayor.
This casting choice led me to believe that there was something deeper and more mysterious about the family dynamic than was portrayed through the dialogue of the script.
However, as the play continued, I realized that this casting choice truly reflected the nature of our upcoming presidential elections. This came across clearly in the scene where Dr. Stockmann and his brother hold a public debate. Immediately, I was reminded of the recent debate I had watched between President Obama and Mitt Romney. I soon recognized that Center Stage was attempting to put a present day political twist on this production in order to reflect the current political atmosphere of our country.
As a result of this casting decision, a large number of questions came to mind. Does this mean that Center Stage supports President Obama because he is cast in the role of Dr. Stockmann, the character who stands up for what he believes in? Why did Center Stage choose for Dr. Stockmann to be portrayed by an African-American male and not the mayor? Couldn’t the roles have been just as easily reversed? Furthermore, the audience members are not capable of reading the report that Dr. Stockmann writes to prove that there is poison in the water, and they are supposed to trust his word. Is this Center Stage’s way of saying that we are truly incapable of deciphering the intentions behind either presidential candidate because there is such a blurred line between fact and fiction, and that politicians say things just so they will be elected to office?
Political controversy aside, I was blown away by the performance of Kevin Kilner as the mayor. Kilner, a Hopkins graduate, truly embodied his role through his strong tone of voice, elaborate facial expressions, and commanding body language. Whenever he appeared on stage, the audience couldn’t help but focus on him. In addition, Dion Graham’s performance as Dr. Stockmann peaked during the second act of the play, when he was given the opportunity to deliver emotionally heart-wrenching monologues. Graham showcased his emotional variability and his ability to play a variety of emotions realistically.
The scenic designer Riccardo Hernández also chose to display small televisions above the set, as well as to have the back wall of the set reflect television programs. In this manner, these black and white televisions put the audience into the mindset of the 1950s. However, because these televisions showed the actors on stage along with prerecorded political footage, the director was trying to convey the message that not much about politics has changed since the 1950s; things stay the same, despite technological advancements.
An Enemy of the People was a marvelous production with a strong, enthusiastic cast, an interesting and provocative director and a talented set designer. An Enemy of the People is playing at Center Stage until Oct. 21.
