Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Norm Lewis digs deep in the hard-hitting revival of Lonne Elder III’s rarely performed CEREMONIES IN DARK OLD MEN

• By drediman
• May 13, 2025
• No Comments

This past weekend at the Theatre at St. Clement’s, I had the opportunity to attend a performance of Peccadillo Theater Company’s revival of Lonne Elder III’s rarely performed Ceremonies in Dark Old Men starring Broadway favorite Norm Lewis. Set the 1960s in a long dormant barbershop in a destitute Harlem neighborhood, the play tells the story of a family at the end of their wits struggling to make ends meet; ultimately, the men in the household make the decision to resort to a life of crime to earn a living and enjoy what life they have left. Although the work was named a Pulitzer Prize Finalist when it premiered in 1969, it has since sunk into relative obscurity (I myself had never seen the play performed live until Peccadillo’s current Off-Broadway revival).

In short, Ceremonies in Dark Old Men is a mighty piece of theatrical writing, calling to mind both Lorraine Hansberry’s landmark play A Raisin in the Sun and the works of August Wilson in its political urgency and emotional breadth. It’s a hidden gem of a play, which is especially obvious in Clinton Turner Davis’s very fine, hard-hitting production. Throughout, Elder’s dialogue is detailed and convincing, while his plotting masterful, building confidently from simmering tension to Shakespearean tragedy (shades of King Lear are particularly apparent). Even in a venue with less than optimal acoustics, Davis’s staging drew in the audience with its nuanced and atmospheric world-building, illuminating philosophical discussions, and complex, fully three dimensional characters. Then there’s the top-notch acting, starting with the beloved stage star Lewis as Russell Parker, the frustratingly inactive patriarch of the family.

It’s refreshing to see Lewis flexing his acting muscles in a straight play, digging deep to produce a performance that feels utterly lived in. Despite his natural charisma and regal presence, Lewis’s Russell effectively registers as a shrunken man caught in a state of stasis. Indeed, his work here just might be his finest performance to date, culminating in a final drunken monologue that’s nothing less than a tour-de-force. As his strong-willed, idiosyncratic children, Bryce Michael Wood, Morgan Siobhan Green, and Jeremiah Packer give finely-etched performances that project with clarity and intent. Rounding out the excellent cast are James Foster, Jr. as Russell’s best friend, Felicia Boswell as his short-term girlfriend, and Calvin M. Thompson as the local crime lord.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

CEREMONIES IN DARK OLD MEN
Off-Broadway, Play
The Peccadillo Theatre Company at the Theatre at St. Clement’s
2 hours, 25 minutes (including an intermission)
Through June 29