‘Brothers Size’ reveals divine sparks in men
Even before you take your seat for the sensational Milwaukee Chamber Theatre production of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s “The Brothers Size,” the gods are already in the house.
Entering the Broadway Studio Theatre, one is greeted by Jahmés Tony Finlayson, a homeless man doubling as the Egungun in Yoruba mythology.
Playing percussion on found objects that transform a makeshift homeless shelter into an ancestral hearth, he both embodies and summons those ancestral spirits watching over us and dwelling within us.
The Egungun’s pulsing drums summon three more Yoruba deities, stripped to their waist as they enter the theater in a thrillingly theatrical stomp, devised by director and movement choreographer Marti Gobel.
Ogun Size (Travis A. Knight) isn’t just a car mechanic in a nondescript Louisiana town, but the god of metal, seemingly hard but also a creator and builder, offering shelter in a world of woe that includes losing his parents when he was little more than a child.
Younger brother Oshoosi Size (Andrew Muwonge) isn’t just a recently released convict but a seeker, trying to find himself and know the world.
Elegba (Marques Causey) isn’t just Oshoosi’s onetime cellmate and alltime best friend, but a trickster straddling the crossroads, challenging Oshoosi to find his path.
Hence before a word of McCraney’s gorgeously poetic text gets spoken, Gobel has already underscored this play’s many reminders that every black man and all of us are also already gods, even if we occasionally lose our way in this vale of tears.
That knowledge changes how we see these men, each trying to move forward through lighting designer Jason Fassl’s twilight on another evocative Madelyn Yee set, this one dominated by Ogun’s car garage and suggesting an urban block from any city in America.
Their story calls to mind the struggle in so many August Wilson plays between a no-nonsense father figure and a prodigal son, both men filled with love but struggling to express it.
Their story can also be extremely funny; credit Gobel again, who grasps the comedy within the tragic disconnect between our divine selves and our posturing personae.
Gobel’s actors — all doing excellent work — never let us forget the godlike men beneath the masks.
So yes: Knight’s Ogun can seem hard and stern. But Knight also lets us see the regret of a man who’s lost a lot — and his fervent love for a wayward brother who’s all he’s got left.
And yeah, Muwonge’s Oshoosi can seem like a punk. But Muwonge simultaneously suggests a sensitive and romantic dreamer, filled with a love reflecting his belief in a better world.
And sure, Causey’s Elegba can sometimes seem like an irresponsible (and hilarious) clown. But he’s often more akin to a Shakespearean fool, shining radiating light on others’ hidden truths. Like this historic, landmark production. Like this beautiful, inspiring play.
“The Brothers Size” continues through March 18 at the Broadway Theatre Center’s Studio Theatre, 158 N. Broadway. For tickets, call (414) 2917800 or visit milwaukeechambertheatre.com.