We Were There: Buzzer At The Public Theatre

“I’m not your magical negro” exclaimed Jackson, one of the characters in Tracey Scott Wilson‘s thought-provoking new play Buzzer, directed by Anne Kauffman.

When I heard that line I instantly sat up in my seat. Hearing Jackson (Grantham Coleman), a black man, say this to his girlfriend, Suzy (Tessa Ferrer), and best friend, Don (Michael Stahl-David), who both happen to be white, I knew I needed to prepare myself for what’s always lurking right around the corner… Race.

Jackson a very successful attorney, and the obvious provider for most of the people in his life, buys an apartment in a transitioning neighborhood in Brooklyn, that he grew up in. He asks Suzy to move in with him. She does and everything seems to be going well, until Don leaves rehab and needs a place to crash. Jackson, always willing to help his best friend, graciously opens his door; but, Suzy isn’t as keen on the idea.

Tension between Don and Suzy constantly rise – as Jackson often finds himself being the peaceful maker between the two. But when Don notices Suzy repeatedly being harassed by some guys in the neighborhood, who are only a few years older than Suzy’s students, as she puts it, an unexpected bond emerges between the two.

Don ends up speaking to the guys harassing Suzy, creating peace outside and imminent chaos in the apartment. It seems the overly nonchalant Jackson feels challenged by his best friends display of protection toward his girlfriend.

As the play continues, and beautifully paces itself, the complexities of each character start to unravel and we witness their change – much like the neighborhood they’ve moved into.

In the second act, after Don speaks to Suzy’s harassers, Wilson crafts some skillfully written scenes where everything happening both inside and outside the apartment is tackled head on. These scenes provided a wonderful juxtaposition to the subtly of the first act, and were finely acted.

This is a wonderful production across the board. The transition between scenes seemed to overlap so quickly that you couldn’t help but think of how it mirrors the cultures quickly overlapping in this newly gentrified neighborhood. The set (Laura Jellinek), though mostly bare, left room for not only the physical baggage being brought into the apartment, but the emotional as well. The light design (Matt Frey), at times, created and left us in shadows – similarly to the characters becoming shadows of themselves. And the sound (Bray Poor) kept us immersed in the vibrancy of the world constantly shifting outside.

Buzzer runs until April 26th in Martinson Hall, at The Public.