STAGE REVIEW : This ‘Meeting’ a Lost Opportunity

In Jeff Stetson’s one-act play “The Meeting,” Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X arm-wrestle three times: Malcolm X wins the first contest; King, the second; the third match ends in a draw. After their final encounter, with both men physically spent and no victor determined, King makes a poignant observation: “Just imagine what we could have accomplished if we joined hands in the same direction.”

This poetic moment captures the essence of Stetson’s play: King and Malcom X both wanted freedom for their people, but their methods prevented them from joining forces. With “The Meeting,” Stetson asks the audience to consider what might have happened if these two men sat down and discussed how best to realize civil rights in America.

“The Meeting” is a dynamic play, but, unfortunately, this production fizzles. The staging, continuing at the Educational Cultural Complex Friday through Sunday, is too deliberate to realize the script’s potentially explosive dramatic possibilities.

In the playwright’s program notes, Stetson observes that his play is “much more than an exploration of political differences.” Indeed it is. “The Meeting” is an intelligent, thought-provoking script that addresses political and social theory just as it delves into the personal politics of both King and Malcolm X. Unfortunately, this production fails to bring sufficient humanity to “The Meeting.”

Set in Malcolm X’s Harlem hotel room on Valentine’s Day, 1965, “The Meeting” begins with a conversation between Malcolm X (Bingwa) and his personal bodyguard, Rashad (Carl Gilliard). The two men are waiting for King to arrive. While they wait, they discuss the ramifications of the forthcoming encounter.

Stetson wrote this scene to provide the audience with some helpful exposition--the play’s date, location, etc.--but director Adleane Hunter injects long pauses between the bits of conversation, presumably to punctuate the “importance” of the dialogue. This painfully slow scene sets the tone for the rest of the production--a production that never gains enough momentum to succeed dramatically.

Early in the play, when King (Curtis Thomas) first arrives to talk with Malcolm X, the stage should have crackled with energy. It did not. Instead, both actors seemed tentative and intimidated by the material. They paused before and after delivering their lines, presumably to underline the message behind the words. This rhythm created a stagnant feeling on stage, and conversations seemed awkward throughout the show.

At one point in their discussion, Malcolm X implores King to eat an apple. King refuses, adding: “It is interesting that you should try to tempt me with an apple.” Malcolm X responds: “You see the apple as temptation. I see it as nourishment.” The dramatic power within this exchange is palpable, but, in this production, the actors milk the moment, hyper-extending the situation and undermining the drama.

All three actors’ performances are adequate, if lacking in passion; Bingwa went furthest with his role, capturing the intellectual strength of Malcolm X. The director, Adleane Hunter, who is founding and Producing Artistic Director of Orange County Black Actors Theatre, must bear the bulk of the responsibility for the show’s shortcomings. She directed this play with too much emphasis on messages and not enough on characterization, a method that stifled the play to the extent that neither King nor Malcolm X breathe life; the two characters come across as institutions rather than human beings. This production relies too much on thoughts and words, and the actors never really convey the characters’ actions and emotions.

At several strong points, this production of “The Meeting” breaks free from the “important theater” trap. During the following exchange, occurring about halfway into the play, both actors have fun with their lines, providing the staging with a much-needed dose of levity.

Malcolm X: “I had a dream last night.”

King: “Oh?”

Malcolm X: “I’m sorry. That’s your line.”

King: “That’s all right. You can borrow it.”

From this moment on, the actors settle into their roles, and both Malcolm X and King begin to talk as people rather than historical figures. The two discuss their children and fears and mutual experiences with less apprehension. But, by the time the characters begin to take on lives of their own, and the staging begins to succeed as a drama, the lights dim, the actors bow and the audience leaves.

“THE MEETING”

By Jeff Stetson. Directed by Adleane Hunter. Stage manager, Illa Wilson. With Bingwa, Curtis Thomas and Carl Gilliard. At 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday. At the Educational Cultural Complex, 4343 Ocean View Blvd. Tickets: $2-$8. 230-2823.