‘Thoughts’ That Are Innocent, or Not So

“What do you want--dueling Holocausts?” cries a Jewish academic in exasperation at an endless duel of “persecution one-upmanship” that rips the gauze off deteriorating relations between blacks and Jews in “Innocent Thoughts” from Inglewood’s Unity Players Ensemble.

Thoughts are anything but innocent in William Missouri Downs’ unsettling two-character drama centered on a legal inquiry into a 21-year-old murder with racial overtones. Downs packs grim irony into the plight of Ira (Spencer Scott), a black Chicago attorney defending an unseen white cop he believes to be guilty. Ostensibly trying to bolster his case, he enlists Arlen (Sam Fibish), a nebbishy anthropologist, to discredit key forensic evidence.

Hidden motives quickly surface as Ira subjects his “expert” to increasingly abusive cat-and-mouse manipulation, leveraging Arlen’s current difficulties with his university employers over a politically incorrect remark. Shades of David Mamet’s “Oleanna” notwithstanding, Downs skillfully uses this wedge to undermine platitudes of a black-Jewish alliance as Arlen’s awkward attempts to establish rapport meet with stony hostility. However, to accommodate a comprehensive litany of racial grievances, Downs piles on more coincidences than his premise can comfortably support. Not only did Ira and Arlen grow up in the same poor neighborhood (where Ira used to beat up Arlen), but Arlen’s father was both their elementary school administrator and Ira’s family’s landlord to boot.

Scott compensates for the contrivances in a consummate performance--his Ira is a charismatic dynamo, engaging and intimidating by turns, and convincingly conflicted by his lack of cultural history and the sacrifices he’s made to achieve “success.” Unfortunately, Fibish isn’t nearly as effective in his role--Arlen is overshadowed despite some strong arguments on his side, and Yvette Culver’s staging doesn’t always honor the balance in the text.

While Ira’s intentions are ultimately honorable--he’s trying to goad Arlen into doing the right thing--in his sometimes physically abusive tactics it isn’t as clear as it should be that he’s reverting to a childhood bully. In the end, so much racial animus is exchanged that neither side can claim anything but a cease-fire devoid of hope for change.

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* “Innocent Thoughts,” Inglewood Playhouse, 740 Warren Lane, Inglewood. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends Dec. 19. $12. (323) 860-3208. Running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes.