This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize-winning “Topdog/Underdog” crackles with tension, humor and heartbreak in a new production at Actor’s Express, running through April 19. Directed with a sharp eye for the delicate interplay of intimacy and conflict, this staging delivers an experience that lingers long after the final blackout.
At its heart, “Topdog/Underdog” is the story of two brothers, Lincoln and Booth — names given to them as a joke by their father — who wrestle with abandonment, survival and the weight of their shared past. Their personal histories have not only shaped their external lives but have left deep psychological scars, creating a complex web of jealousy, resentment and unspoken desire for validation.
Lincoln (Aaron Goodson), a former three-card monte hustler, now makes a meager living impersonating Abraham Lincoln in a bizarre seaside shooting gallery. Booth (Lamar K. Cheston), restless and ambitious, aspires to master the con that once defined his brother’s life. Their banter is filled with warmth and biting humor, but the undercurrents of competition and resentment simmer beneath every exchange, often bubbling to the surface.
Goodson as Lincoln delivers a deeply felt performance, capturing the character’s alertness and aloofness. It’s easy to get a sense of his hard-lived experience, his desire to set aside short cons and play a longer game. As Booth, Cheston is a live wire of arrogance and insecurity. Together, they navigate the twists and turns of Parks’ rich, kaleidoscopic dialogue with precision and emotional depth.
Credit: Photo by Saturnblu Productions
Credit: Photo by Saturnblu Productions
Under the direction of Eric J. Little, the production never loses sight of the play’s delicate balance between comedy and tragedy. The humor in Parks’ script lands, but the play’s final turn feels simultaneously shocking and inevitable. The pacing is unhurried, even slow. While my attention sometimes wavered, the tension has room to build naturally, never feeling rushed or overly telegraphed. When Lincoln picks up the cards to practice his three-card monte for the first time, the moment achieves an eerie, surreal magic.
The staging makes full use of the intimate space, drawing the audience into the cramped, lived-in world of the brothers’ shared apartment. Scenic design by Seamus M. Bourne enhances the sense of entrapment, walking the line between gritty realism and theatrical artifice — echoing a central tension in Parks’ play. The set feels both lived-in and staged, reflecting the original work’s singular blend of urban realism and surreal absurdity.
The Actor’s Express production powerfully highlights how the brothers’ relationship mirrors the transactional, capitalist forces of the outside world. Their bond, hollowed out by a series of exchanges — of power, money and dominance — becomes a battlefield where love and trust are sacrificed in favor of control. The question isn’t just who has power but what they’re willing to lose in the process.
THEATER REVIEW
“Topdog/Underdog”
Through April 19 at Actor’s Express. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets, $51.50, with discounts available. 887 W. Marietta St. NW, Suite J-107, Atlanta. actors-express.com
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Andrew Alexander is an Atlanta-based writer.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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