|
Robert
E. Lee Shades of Gray takes a sharp and penetrating look into
the life of the Confederate Army’s elite general during the Civil War. Tom  Dugan is both the writer and the performer who mixes research with imagination
to humanize a man we know only by reading history books, or watching reenactments
on television. This humanization of Lee shifts our perspective; he isn’t just
words on a page, but a living breathing soul, he becomes one of us.
At the start of the play Dugan clothed in Lee’s garb
and speaking with a Virginian accent addresses the audience portraying a Robert
E. Lee that exists out of the confines of time. Lee now inhabits History books,
thoughts and emotions in people’s minds, and as a result has become an
interminable character in American History. Dugan cleverly includes this Lee in
his own creation, forming a character who is in part the Lee who walked, talked
and breathed and in part the Lee from beyond the grave who has been turned into
words, ideas, opinions and judgments. He says indignantly to the audience, “You
can’t judge me, not yet, you don’t know me.”
The play progresses forward with scenes about Lee’s
life as a devoted father and husband, his many decisions as General of the
Confederate Army, reflections of his past experiences in war, and his
relationships with his fellow commanders. However, don’t get the idea that this
play is a history lesson. Dugan is able to create vivid scenes by using Lee as
a narrator to describe other characters emotions, and Lee’s relationships reinventing
entire conversations to give the audience a better idea of the circumstances of
the time. His scenes are also riddled with Lee’s reflections imagining his
personal thoughts and ideas about America, his morals and his reasoning, and
how he will be remembered. It is during these scenes that I realized how
impressionable my mind is. While being wrapped up in the play I had forgotten
much of what I had previously thought about Lee and actually found myself in a
way rooting for him. Then I remembered; wait this guy was the head of the
Confederate Army!
What Lee said was true, I didn’t know him, but by the
end of the play I found I knew him less than when the play had started. The
play had proved to erode my pre-conceived notions of Robert E. Lee more than
add new conclusions about him. But perhaps, when it comes to determining the
truth of anyone or anything this is just as important because it takes away in
us what is false. This conclusion is similarly reflected in the word we use to
describe the prose of our writing about history, that word being non-fiction.
Instead of using a definitive term to describe truth we actually use a very
tentative term and yet we all understand what it means.
You don’t need to take an interest in American History
to be moved by the play because the play addresses American sentiments that are
embedded in the roots of our country and therefore relates to our present
issues. The impact of the play will depend on your approach to watching  it. If,
for example, you take the play as an attempt to redefine American History, then
the play is incredibly controversial and potentially inflammatory. Or if you
perceive it as an exploration of how we remember important figures of our past
and how these shards of memories affect us today (more likely to be Dugan’s
intentions), then the play is insightful and illuminating. Regardless of your
approach the play is certain to affect your attitudes about a very important
man in American History.
Luckily, after the play, Dugan came out to entertain
questions from the audience demonstrating an aura of deep intelligence. Dugan
who has written three one-man plays and been the actor in two of them explained
his excitement in the one-man plays in that they are in touch with the magic of
the stage unlike other performances. He wanted to do a play about Robert E. Lee
after watching television programs about the Civil War that fascinated him. Lee’s
potential as a character for his play caught Dugan’s attention after he learned
Lee’s wife was George Washington’s great-granddaughter and wanting to find out
more he didn’t know. He also discussed performing Robert E. Lee Shades of Gray in other states most notably the south
and the way he was received among the diverse people of the United States.
The play is produced by David Hunt Stafford and
directed by Mel Johnson Jr.. The play is running at the Rueben Cordova Theater
from June 11th until June 27th Monday thru Wednesday at
7:30. The theater is located inside the Beverly Hills High School campus at 241
S. Moreno Dr., Beverly Hills, CA, 90210. Tickets are $25 general admission and $12.50
for students with ID. To purchase tickets call (310) 364-3606 or buy them at
the door.
Photo Credits: Robert E Lee in Uniform: Sean McNamara, Robert E. Lee in civilian clothes: Becky Peterson.
|