My overall impression
Man’s Dominion is a tour-de-force created out of nothing more than a fake clown nose, a true story and a lot of real talent. Playwright David Castro crafted this spellbinding journey from a series of monologues based on the real event of an elephant lynching in Tennessee in 1916. Tim Powell brings his characters to life with a deft juggling of accents and physicality that allows him the luxury of understated performance. His easy command of the stage lulls us into giving ourselves over to the journey. The unexpected contribution from Michele Simms/ Madison Flannery provides pitch-perfect counterpoint. And if Powell’s performance is a one-man three-ring circus, director Dennis Neal is the ringmaster, working invisibly but precisely to craft the entire journey. It’s to his credit that the emotional pay-off packs such a powerful punch. Castro draws parallels to our history of dehumanizing people of color and the longstanding tradition of Anti-Semitism, asks the logical question: Who are the real beasts?
