‘Topdog/Underdog’ team at Actor’s Express explores the dynamics of brotherhood

“The moments of connection between the two characters are probably the most interesting to play,” said Goodson, who plays Lincoln. “There’s so much of the play where they’re at odds with each other. The moments where you find their compassion and brotherhood are probably the most fun.”

Credit: Photo by Donna Permell

Credit: Photo by Donna Permell

Cheston said his character is searching for meaning and purpose with tremendous energy and impulsiveness. He rushes into things with reckless abandon. Booth envies his brother’s talent as a cardsharp at three-card monte. He envies that his brother has clearer memories of their family.

“Booth goes 100% into everything, no matter what it is — fail or succeed,” Cheston said. “He is going to go 1,000% and a 1,000 mph. Even though they’re brothers, they have two different perspectives on what has happened. So it is just him trying to find himself within Lincoln, and Link doesn’t even know where he’s at himself.”

Little, who has worked at True Colors Theatre and teaches at Clark Atlanta University, said he reached out to Kenny Leon, the director of the recent Broadway revival, about this production. Leon told him to “lean into the love” in Parks’ script.

“This play is so complex and has so many layers,” Little said. “Because it’s so gritty, some productions lean into that. It’s a big part of the show. But we need to remember that Lincoln and Booth are brothers who love each other. And this is a chance where we get to see Black men show how much they love each other and the mutual respect they have for each other, even with the issues they have.”

Both characters are dealing with the effects of generational trauma and abandonment.

“They both are explosive, but they just have different ways of doing it,” Little said of the characters. “Booth is more impulsive in his explosiveness. And Link is more calculating; he can be very sly, and all of a sudden and it is, like, whoa. They’re both charismatic and funny.”

The palpable chemistry between Goodson and Cheston has been apparent since auditions, when they brought each other to tears, Little said.

Credit: Photo by Adrian Asim

Credit: Photo by Adrian Asim

“Lamar’s a spontaneous cat, a very creative brother, hilarious and brings a lot of passion to what he does — and he brought that to the audition room, too,” Goodson said. “I remember when we came in callbacks together. He was bringing the heat. He had passion, had tears welling up. I said, ‘Oh, OK, it’s on now!’”

Cheston responded: “Real recognizes real. In the waiting room, we didn’t know we would be reading together, but, once we found out, we ended up talking and things like that. We had connections to New York; he went to NYU. I’m from there. We share that type of energy. I loved the switch from talking to Aaron in this hallway to talking to Lincoln in the audition. It was seamless. Then when we left the room, we went back to regular talking. It was dope, man. It was good to see that. And then to end up working with the brother! It’s just amazing to be working with a real dude.”

Director Little was impressed by the interplay and decided it belonged onstage for Atlanta audiences to see.

“I was blown away that both actors in the audition had connected to each other and went to another level,” he said. “I knew right then.”

Though the power of the story will speak to all audiences, the show may resonate differently to the Black men in attendance.

“The power of this writing and the power of any great play is that anybody can come into the space, have the experience and take something different away,” Goodson said. “Audiences will all be impacted in a very specific way and in a very impactful way for themselves. But I think definitely a Black male watching this play is going to have a different perspective, just having walked in these shoes. Even if they haven’t had the same experience as Lincoln and Booth, they’ve walked in their shoes in a sense.”

The dysfunctional family at the heart of the funny, heartfelt “Topdog/Underdog” is how it connects most with audiences, Little said.

“Suzan-Lori Parks wrote this at the beginning of the script, saying this play is about family wounds and healing,” he said. “I don’t care who you are. Everybody has that.”

THEATER PREVIEW

“Topdog/Underdog”

Through April 19 at Actor’s Express. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets start at $25. 887 W. Marietta St. NW, Suite J-107, Atlanta. actors-express.com

::

Benjamin Carr is an ArtsATL editor-at-large who has contributed to the publication since 2019 and is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association, the Dramatists Guild, the Atlanta Press Club and the Horror Writers Association. His writing has been featured in podcasts for iHeartMedia, onstage as part of the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival and online in The Guardian. His debut novel, “Impacted,” was published by the Story Plant.

Credit: ArtsATL

Credit: ArtsATL

MEET OUR PARTNER