Cherry Docs

A Jewish lawyer makes a Skinhead on trial for murder determine his own defense in the David Gow scripted and directed Cherry Docs. Theatre of the Expendable, whose mission is to encourage a reconsideration of preconceived notions and beliefs about the "undesirables" of society, packs a mean punch in the New York premiere of this racial piece. But it's the pure and unadulterated performance of the actors that make this show a killer. Despite monologues that are occasionally tedious and a tiresome two-person scene to monologue and back format, the raw and explosive emotions are a thing to experience...and remember. (L to R) Maximilian Osinski and Mark Zeisler

ALL PHOTOS BY CALEB LEVENGOOD

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Kike, Easy-Bake Nigger, Hymie, 10% off, Bar Code, Christ-Killer, Clip-tip. They read ugly, don't they? Those are but a few racial slurs against Jewish people, with some of them dating all the way back to World War II. Racial prejudice in general has been around a long time, and in this day and age, not slowing down in momentum. It's easy to hate the prejudiced, the discriminators, the haters, but what if we tried to understand them? What if we took a cold, hard look at what set the hatred in motion? David Gow does just that with Cherry Docs, a provocative play that challenges the beliefs of both the oppressed and the oppressors. But like any belief that's been ingrained and nurtured with ignorance, misconceptions, fear and pain, they're hard to suppress. They need to be processed before they can be expunged.

Maximilian Osinski

When Mike (Maximilian Osinski), a Neo-Nazi Skinhead that wears cherry-colored Doc Martens, accidentally kills a South-Asian man (whom he refers to as a "Paki") during a violent encounter, he can't get a defense lawyer to take his case. No one will touch this racially-motivated case with a ten-foot pole. Except for Danny (Mark Zeisler), a court appointed liberal Jewish lawyer that naturally, is his most hated opponent. Cherry Docs begins with monologues from each character to introduce them, and from henceforward, continues in an alternating pattern between monologues and 2-person scenes. It is a practical device, but one that grows tiresome and predictable. Through these monologues, we learn about their positions on ethnically-integrated societies, immigration, and employment laws. And the variance in their opinions makes a working relationship tempestuous. Despite the revulsion that they each feel towards each other, they each understand the need to work together. For Mike, it's desperation and the confidence that Danny will represent him to the best of his ability because of his liberal views. For Danny, it's the case's career-making potential, even in the face of ridicule from his peers and his own aversion towards Skinheads. And for both, there are other, more important reasons that they may not embrace in the beginning, but will come to accept at the end of the court trial and their own personal trials.

(L to R) Maximilian Osinski and Mark Zeisler

Because Mike doesn't want to be tried as a Skinhead (he wants to spare his brothers the association and the embarrassment), Danny has to work another angle. He can't possibly conceive of a logical argument against this crime, given his integrity and his own sensitivities, so he forces Mike to come up with it instead. Through deliberations dragged through turmoil and distress, the audience is able to see exactly what Danny and Mike are made of: they are two sides of the same, volcanic coin. And Osinski and Zeisler are both terrific at excavating their characters' fears. Osinski's layer of hubris over his childish core is wonderful. He is versatile and able to distribute feelings of pity, horror and antipathy to the audience like a marksman. Zeisler's discomfort with his client is like a puncture in our own subconscious, prompting us to dredge up our own founded and unfounded prejudices. He is a commanding presence onstage, even when Gow's often descriptive and lively words meander.

Maximilian Osinski

Cherry Docs benefits greatly from Gow's robust direction. Under his hand, the actors are able to display a range of emotions that pull the audience into the drama. The direction is stylish and, coupled with the lighting design by Ryan Metzler, gives the play a very film noirish feel. Incidentally, the play was turned into Steel Toes, the 2006 film starring David Strathairn. Apart from a prop malfunction where a chair falls apart prematurely, all of the action is solid and strong. The scenic design, although stark and plain the way a cell should be, does not look wholly uncomfortable. It's hard to imagine that Mike is in an isolated cell block. But these are minor issues that don't take away from the show's power. Cherry Docs is a meeting of narrow minds that broaden from the encounter. It is as much an anthropological piece as it is a theatrical one, a sociological study as much as a dramatic one. And in spite of all of the ugliness on display, hope succeeds in parting the vile waves. It is the instrument of change that these characters need, and the motivation to re-evaluate our own thinking. The greatest achievement in theater is to leave the audience with something to think about. On that end, Cherry Docs is more than triumphant.

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Through May 18th. Tickets: $11. 212-352-3101. Workshop Theater, 312 West 36th Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10018