Black Tom Island – A Review
There is an important piece of history told in a new play called Black Tom Island. Produced by Premiere Stages at Kean, it is the story of the first documented terrorist attack on American soil. This attack occurred on a parcel of land named Black Tom Island which was located right off Jersey City where a major explosion occurred in 1916. The Island doesn’t exist anymore and there is not much mentioned about this event. However, it is significant and it is a part of the history of the New Jersey/New York area. This play provides a learning experience about the horrific bombing. It also shows attitudes and how people, particularly those in the immigrant community, felt they had to respond to authority figures.
Black Tom Island by playwright Martin Casella is the recipient of the 2017-2018 Liberty Live Commission. This a unique partnership between Premiere Stages and Liberty Hall Museum that supports the development of new plays that explore the rich and complex history of New Jersey. Over the course of two years, Garden State playwrights are given support to create an original play to be staged at Liberty Hall’s historic 1882 Carriage House. A workshop/reading of Black Tom Island was held last year and now the play is available to the public.
Black Tom Island has an impressive approach as it unfolds its story. It is a chance to see a first -rate piece of storytelling from the gifted Martin Casella. Mr. Casella is also an actor perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Marty Casey in the 1982 classic, Poltergeist. He served as director Steven Spielberg’s assistant on Raiders of the Lost Ark. His writing for film and television includes projects for HBO, CBS, ABC, Disney, Universal, and Warner Brothers. Some of his other plays include The Report, Beautiful Dreamer, and the GLAAD-nominated The Irish Curse.
Black Tom Island carefully brings out necessary details at the right time to make the impact needed to move the story along at a good pace. There are no moments in this play where the action slows up. Every piece is carefully constructed to keep adding to the story line. This works very well with character development which allows a great reveal to occur before the final action of the play
There is also an interesting tie to life events today. John Wooten, Artistic Director of the Premiere Stage Company who directs the play said, “While the attack on Black Tom Island happened 100 years ago, the play’s subject matter is surprisingly topical. And what makes Marty’s study of an immigrant couple’s acclimation to America all the more fascinating is that it is based on a true story and is effectively dramatized against the backdrop of a lost New Jersey island.”
Black Tom Island opens with a fictionalized Slovak immigrant couple, Martin Babek, and his wife, Ewa, in their Jersey City flat. Times are tough because Martin is on strike with other workers from his regular day job. To help make ends meet, he has a job on Black Tom Island as a night watchman. He discloses to Ewa that he was approached by some people to carry a satchel in that evening and was paid $500. He has no idea what is going on with these people or even who they are. But he tells her he is doing this so they can return to their homeland in Slovakia. She disagrees with this plan and is determined to stay in the United States to allow the child she is carrying to be born here.
Recognizing the trouble this could cause then, she begs him to go to the police and turn in the satchel. Action is quick from that point on and it is startling to hear the sounds of explosions. What follows afterwards becomes a series of events where the need to find who is responsible for the explosion takes place. The answers revealed are stunning. At the show I attended, there were many audience members who gasped when a big reveal was made. This is darn good storytelling and the kind that sticks with you!
The cast does an outstanding job of creating characters who will also remain with you. Mason Hensley and Jenna Krasowski play the immigrant couple, Martin and Ewa Babek with great passion. Their determination to succeed is evident every step of the way. Damian Buzzerio plays Father Oskar Prosco who is known to the authorities for providing sanctuary in his church for those in need. His devotion to the church and the people who attend is important to the plot as is his savvy in figuring out what is really going on. Bart Shatto plays Tim McMillan, a Pinkerton Detective assigned to find the culprits behind the explosion. His character does not enter the play until late in the action but his role is instrumental in determining the outcome.
Using the Carriage House at Liberty Hall Museum provides the audience with a very intimate theatrical experience. The seating is set up so that no row is far from the stage making one feel they are a part of what is taking place.
Black Tom Island only runs through October 21, 2018. Seeing it will be a chance to journey back to an important piece of history and view it with an objective eye on then and now. Good theater can do that and this play does.
Additional Information about Black Tom Island
Running Time: 90 minutes
Location: The 1882 Carriage House at Liberty Hall Museum, 1003 Morris Ave., Union, NJ
Performances: Thursday, October 11-Sunday, October 21 at various times
Contact for Info and Tickets: call the box office at 908-737-7469 or visit Premiere Stages online at www.premierestagesatkean.com.
Suggested Audience: This show has a good overall appeal but especially for people who enjoy history or suspense stories.
Guests attending the matinees of Black Tom Island the weekend of October 20–21 can also enjoy a free tour of the museum’s first floor in conjunction with Four Centuries in a Weekend, Union County’s annual historic homes tour sponsored by the Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs.