Preview: Clybourne Park

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School present Bruce Norris’ razor-sharp satire about the politics of race, which won both the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award Award for Best Play, at Bristol Old Vic’s brand new Weston Studio from November 9-17.

Two scenes, fifty years apart.

In 1959, Russ and Bev are moving out to the suburbs after the tragic death of their son. Inadvertently, they have sold their house to the neighbourhood’s first black family.

Fifty years later in 2009, the roles are reversed when a young white couple buys the lot in what is now a predominantly black neighbourhood, signalling a new wave of gentrification.

In both instances, a community showdown takes place, pitting race against real estate with this home as the battleground.

Premiered in February 2010 at Playwrights Horizons in New York, Norris’ play was written as a spin-off to Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun (1959). It portrays fictional events set before and after the Hansberry play, and is loosely based on historical events that took place in the city of Chicago.

Directing the show is BOVTS’ artistic director Jenny Stephens, who has directed numerous new plays for BBC Radio 4 and was a frequent guest director of The Archers. Here’s Jenny to tell us more.

How important is it that that the play was written as a spin-off to A Raisin in the Sun?
It was very important to be aware of this. One character in the first act has, in effect, driven directly from the Younger family home (in A Raisin In The Sun) to the Clybourne Park house and one character in the second half is related to the matriarch of the family. The wonderful style of Lorraine Hasberry’s masterpiece is also reflected in Clybourne Park. We looked at it quite carefully and have been helped by local theatre director Hanna Lune, who has been in rehearsals (as an assistant director) and whose university dissertation was on A Raisin In The Sun.

Rehearsals for Bristol Old Vic Theatre School’s ‘Clybourne Park’

The stage directions specify that the same actors play characters across the time divide. Have you honoured this, and if so what’s the thinking here?
We’ve kept to the original casting, so the same actors double to play different parts in the second act. It adds a terrific resonance.

It sounds a fascinating and brilliantly structured story. But what is it saying? Is it taking a moral stance on gentrification, racism, rights to housing? Or simply holding up a mirror to these things and asking us what we think?  
Playwright Bruce Norris claimed, “My ideal audience response is to have them come out saying, ‘I don’t know what’s right anymore. I used to think I knew what was right, but I’m not sure I do.” He’s also said, “Audiences want to align themselves with someone in a play, and one of the most fun things to do is deny them that option.” I think that this description is about right – our allegiances shift throughout the play with some of the characters.

Are the protagonists largely personifications of the various archetypes in the story – 50s black family, 50s white family; Noughties black family, Noughties white family – or do they have extra depths and nuances to their personalities that go beyond these archetypes?
The depth of character is what makes this play truly wonderful. They are all rich, complex and nuanced. I don’t want to give too much away, but Bev and Russ (who are moving out) seem at first to be a very ordinary couple –until hidden depths and history emerge.

Is there room for humour in the play?
There are many types of humour and comedy within the play; some of our reactions will be laughter of recognition, some of the humour is quite shocking, some of the comedy will make us squirm.
Again, I don’t want to give too much away, but there is a section where characters tell jokes in an attempt to see who is offended. The humour and themes are, at times, adult so the show is recommended for 14+. In short, the humour is delicious and delightful, witty and acerbic.

Tell us about any staging decisions you have made…
It’s important that we adhere to the times and place dictated by the script. The design of both set and costume very clearly locate the action. It’s exciting to be in Bristol Old Vic’s new Weston Studio and to test out the space, which is ‘thrust’ so the audience is on three sides. The audience is very close to the action, and this helps with the intimate and detailed naturalism of the piece.

Clybourne Park Bristol Old Vic, Nov 9-17, Mon-Sat 8pm plus 3pm Thur 15 & Sat 17. £17-£15. For more info, visit bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/clybourne-park