‘Butler’ Gives New Look at a Civil War Incident

A play set during the early days of the Civil War opened last week at New York City’s 59E59 Theaters. Butler, by playwright Richard Strand, celebrated its Off-Broadway Opening Night to a full house of enthusiastic theatergoers. The show is produced by the New Jersey Repertory Company out of Long Branch, NJ where Butler had its world premiere in 2014. The play was the recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award.

Joseph Discher, who directs this production also directed the world premiere of Butler at New Jersey Repertory company. His direction allows the outstanding dialog written by playwright Strand to come through in a forthright manner. And although the subject matter is very serious, there is a lot of humor that was written in allowing the audience to ingest the concepts more easily.

The plot involves Major General Benjamin Butler who was a lawyer up until a few weeks before he assumed his post at Fort Monroe in Virginia. The Fort is a Union stronghold. The demeanor and thinking of Major General Butler contrasts with that of Lieutenant Kelly who as a graduate of West Point is well established in the Army. A runaway slave named Shepard Mallory enters the Fort with two other runaways seeking sanctuary from their slave owners. Mallory impresses both Butler and eventually Kelly and each want to try to keep him from harm. However, the Fugitive Slave Act is still very much in use which forces the two officers to make good on a request to return the slaves to their owners. When Major Cary comes to claim them, lots of things start to happen. The ending is nicely done with a few pieces still up in the air, but with a precedence for how they might be resolved.

Ames Adamson plays a multi-facted man in his portrayal of Benjamin Butler. Benjamin Sterling provides a staunch view of a career soldier as Lieutenant Kelly. John G. Williams portrays Shepard Mallory allowing both sadness and hope to emerge for his character. David Sitler plays Major Carey with a firm footing in the manners of a southern man who has become a soldier.

A good story line, fine dialog, and good acting all add to this show. But what underlies the entire production are questions about other people that both the Major General and Lieutenant deal with. The fact that neither one has ever had a conversation with a slave or an African American enters the discussion. How they come to view Shepard is a testament to the ability to have open communication between people. Maybe that point is something which is still in the air today as we strive to bridge the problems between races even today.

Butler will continue to run at the east side theater through Sunday, August 28, 2016. Additional shows have been added on Sunday evenings. Check the 59E56th Street Theater website, http://www.59e59.org for more information.

About the Show:
Running Time: 2 hours (approx.) with one intermission
Location: 59 E. 59th Street Theatre, 59 E. 59th Street, New York City, NY
Performances: Tuesday – Thursday at 7 PM; Friday at 8 PM; Saturday at 2 PM & 8 PM; Sunday at 3 PM, with added 7 PM on Sunday, August 14 and Sunday, August 21.
Contact for Info and Tickets: The website for this theater – http://www.59e59.org/
Suggested Audience: The subject matter might be difficult for young children to understand but teens could handle this especially those who have had some studies about the Civil War.