Thurgood at The Kennedy Center

Thurgood

The Kennedy Center
2700 F Street, NW Washington

In Thurgood, Tony Award–winning actor Laurence Fishburne reprises his Broadway role as Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to be appointed to the Supreme Court. From his early days as the civil rights lawyer who argued Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, a landmark case which led to the end of institutionalized segregation, to his appointment to the highest court in the land, Thurgood Marshall stood for justice while lifting the standing of his race.

Thru - Jun 20, 2010

Price: $25-$90

Stage: Eisenhower Theater

Show Type: Drama

Box Office: 202-467-4600

Running Time: 1 hr; 35 mins; no intermission

www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showEvent&event=TKTSH

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Thurgood Reviews

Average Rating based on 7 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Recommended

"...Only a fraction of the evening is devoted to Marshall's quarter century on the high court. The real matters of "Thurgood" are the events and circumstances that cast him as a central player in Brown v. Board of Education. Some of the play's most absorbing moments revolve around Marshall's account of the case, particularly the arguments pro and con before the justices. Fishburne, a fine mimic, portrays Marshall as well as the courtly opposing counsel John W. Davis, and in the process brings to the fore the proceedings' resonant drama."

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- Peter Marks

Washington Examiner - Highly Recommended

"... There are two primary reasons for the success of "Thurgood." The first is the power and dignity of Laurence Fishburne in the title role. As Marshall, Fishburne's presence is at once commanding and relaxed. He begins talking about his ancestors -- remembered for their stubbornness and their distinctive names -- and immediately establishes a chatty rapport with the audience. Throughout, Marshall is depicted as a man of feeling and of controlled, intelligent defiance. Fishburne's Thurgood is friendly and funny, charming his listeners with his down-home style."

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- Barbara Mackay

Baltimore Sun - Highly Recommended

"...The simple set-up for this biographical vehicle introduces us to a retired, still- "disputatious" Thurgood Marshall, who walks out and starts talking about his life, ostensibly to a gathering at his alma mater, Howard University. The format seems quite natural, especially since Laurence Fishburne's extraordinary performance makes it easy to believe you're in the presence of the Baltimore-born lawyer who helped begin to remove the stain of segregation from the nation's soul."

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- Tim Smith

The Huffington Post - Highly Recommended

"...Thurgood is the extraordinary one-man show in which actor Laurence Fishburne completely transforms himself into Thurgood Marshall, the civil rights hero who became the first African-American Supreme Court Justice."

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- Dan Froomkin

Washington City Paper - Highly Recommended

"...Point one, Fishburne, reprising his role from a Broadway run two summers ago, is as impish and avuncular as he is authoritative. Whether lurching across the stage on a cane or channeling LBJ’s Lone Star imperiousness, he’s a captivating presence for every second of this 95-minute monologue. Point two, the story of Marshall’s life—one that Stevens seems to have taken a strict constructionist, if anecdotal, approach to interpreting—is simply a hell of a tale, so rich in incident and character and humor and triumph that it seems too good to be true."

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- Chris Klimek

Afro - Highly Recommended

"...These experiences are inconceivable to younger generations, but Fishburne’s nuanced acting – embellished only by a backdrop of photo stills – drives home the feelings of humiliation and urgency that later fueled Marshall’s success. The award-winning actor also develops an intimacy with the audience from his first moments on stage as the elderly, but mentally agile Marshall. “I have a lifetime appointment and I intend to serve it. I expect to die at 110, shot by a jealous husband,” Fishburne says."

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- Kristin Gray

DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended

George Stevens, Jr’s fine play with anecdote, humor, excitement, horror and triumph. Part of it is Stevens’ writing, part of it is Laurence Fishburne’s spot-on performance, but most of it is the life that Marshall lived, and the role he played, frankly, in straightening America out.

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- Tim Treanor

Thurgood at The Kennedy Center

Thurgood

Thurgood Reviews

Washington Post - Recommended

Washington Examiner - Highly Recommended

Baltimore Sun - Highly Recommended

The Huffington Post - Highly Recommended

Washington City Paper - Highly Recommended

Afro - Highly Recommended

DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended

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