Theater review by Elysa Gardner
Maybe you’re one of those highly productive types who used the Covid shutdown to master French cooking or tai chi, or read the complete works of Proust. You’re still a piker compared to Suzan-Lori Parks, who spent the pandemic’s first thirteen months writing a short play each day, documenting her journey and the country’s and even crafting a central role for herself. The resulting production was supposed to premiere at the Public Theater last fall, but was delayed, ironically, by the Pulitzer Prize winner’s own bout with the virus.
Plays for the Plague Year has now finally arrived at Joe’s Pub, with Parks holding court over a cast of seven other actors who juggle multiple roles. She also sings, as do her fellow cast members, and is one of two guitarists in a four-piece band that plays about twenty original songs. Plays is not really a musical; most of the tunes are short and simple, and the lyrics embellish the storyline rather than driving it—adding to the show's communal vibe, which feels right for this performance space. There are several compelling numbers nonetheless, from the doo-wop of “Bob Needs a Job” and the breezy hip-hop-soul of “We Got It From Here” to the bluesy lament “Managing My Anger,” which Parks delivers with a punk sneer creeping into her slight but pleasing voice.
Plays for the Plague Year | Photograph: Courtesy Joan Marcus
As those titles suggest, Plays documents both the devastation that Covid wrought and the perseverance it evinced, with heavy nods to the social and political unrest that marked the period between March 2020 and April 2021. There are moving segments in which Parks gives voice to ghosts, such as a cab driver and high school principal who succumbed to the virus. At times, it can seem like Parks is ticking off significant events that have already been dissected feverishly, and at length: the election of Biden and Harris, the insurrection of January 6 and the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. (In a lighter moment, Parks’s own devotion to representation is questioned by a squad of “Black police.”)
The biggest revelation of Plays for the Plague Year may be its author’s immensely appealing presence as a performer. As “The Writer,” Parks is obviously playing herself, but in doing so she demonstrates a low-key charisma and endearing vulnerability—particularly in scenes with Greg Keller and Leland Fowler, the witty and likable actors cast as, respectively, her husband and young son. Watching the creator of searing works like Topdog/Underdog and Fucking A gather stand-ins for her spouse and their “pumpkin pie” together for a series of group hugs, we are reminded how a very dark juncture also brought with it some tender silver linings, for those of us lucky enough to find them.
Plays for the Plague Year. Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater (Off Broadway). By Suzan-Lori Parks. Directed and choreographed by Niegel Smith. With Parks, Greg Keller, Leland Fowler. Running time: 3hrs. One intermission.
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Plays for the Plague Year | Photograph: Courtesy Joan Marcus