Sherwood’s Titanic drama loses bout to boxer’s sidebar
Poor Joseph Laroche. Not only did this Haitian man have the misfortune of being a passenger on the Titanic. He can’t get even any respect at his own memorial.
Titanic: The Untold Story, by Anthony Sherwood, which just opened at the Segal Centre, is supposed to be about the only black man who sailed on the Titanic. Only, it’s not, exactly.
Somewhere in the process of researching Laroche to quickly put together a show in Halifax in time for the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic last April, Sherwood discovered a rather far-fetched link between the famous ship and a notorious historical figure (boxer Jack Johnson, former heavyweight champion of the world), whom he obviously found more interesting than Laroche.
So he wrote a play in which the person we are led to believe is the main character (Laroche, as played, with lingering, meaningful pauses, by Conrad Caton) is quickly reduced to a foil, interrupted again and again by the abrasive Johnson, as played by none other than Sherwood himself – who also directed the play.
From what we know of Laroche, whose unique story was added to the Titanic narrative in 1994, he was an upright family man, born in Haiti in 1886, trained as an engineer in France. While he was there, he met and married Juiliette Lafargue, a French woman whose father was a well-to-do wine merchant. When the couple embarked on their Titanic cruise, heading for Haiti, they had two young daughters and another child on the way. Since Laroche hadn’t been able to find work suitable to his educational level in France, his intention was to return home where his prominent family (his uncle was the president of Haiti) could help him out. There’s not a lot in the sketchy Laroche biography to suggest that he was an exciting guy. Just a decent one.
Meanwhile, legend has it, Johnson tried to book passage on the Titanic but was refused because of his skin colour. This anecdote ap- pealed, as a metaphor, to an American blues musician called Lead Belly. His The Titanic Song immortalizes Johnson’s moment of humiliation at the ticket wicket. Of course, the song appealed to Sherwood (he sings it in the show.) And Johnson’s life story, chronicled in many volumes, was action-packed and scandal-ridden. Juicy stuff.
Sherwood said, in an interview, that his idea was to bring these two men into the room to tell their stories about the Titanic and to ex- plore their reactions to each other.
But the Laroche versus Johnson bout (which takes place in the afterlife) is not a fair one.
Sometimes, this contrast between the genteel Haitian and the tough-guy American works. More often it seems contrived and unbalanced.
The illustrative domestic scenes between Laroche and Juliette (played politely by Audrey Ferron), are pure cliché. And actor Patrick Charron, who plays every stereo- typical white racist Laroche and Johnson ever met in their lives, faces a thankless task.
As one digression leads to another, the sultry Tasha Gero is brought in to sing, as a star of the Cotton Club (which Johnson once owned), to show-stopping effect. And child actor Isaiah Gero-Marsman, as Joseph Laroche Jr., arrives to melt hearts at the end.
Titanic: The Untold Story is a work-in-need-of-progress. If Sherwood wants to score a hit on tour (future bookings include San Diego, Atlanta and the Soho Theatre in London), he should hire a topnotch director/dramaturge immediately and let the editing process begin.
Montreal audiences aren’t likely to be so demanding. Here, this isn’t just a Titanic play-with-music, it’s a special event marking the homecoming of a star.
Sherwood is a seasoned actor/singer/producer/director with a hefty résumé in film and television (Street Legal), who got his start in musical theatre in Montreal in shows like Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Razz ’M Jazz. (The highly talented Sher- wood family, which includes Kim Sherwood, founder of the People’s Gospel Choir, is often compared with the Biddle clan. A film that draws a comparison between these illustrious musical families, produced by Anthony Sherwood Productions, won a Gemini Award in 1997.)
Sherwood hasn’t performed here live since Ain’t Misbehavin’ in 1986. And it’s great to have him back where he once belonged. His energetic performance as Johnson is impressive enough to suggest another play could be built around the boxer alone.
As for Laroche, the dramatic opportunities offered by his life story remain to be mined more thoroughly elsewhere.
Titanic: The Untold Story,
written and directed by Anthony Sherwood, continues at the Segal Centre, 5170 Côte Ste. Catherine Rd., until July 22. Tickets $18 (student/senior) to $15. Call 514739-7944. Or visit www. segalcentre.org