Eugene O’Neill, probably the greatest American playwright, had an unfulfilled dream of creating an expansive cycle of dramas about an American family over the course of several generations. More recently, the late playwrights Horton Foote and August Wilson completed their own multi-part cycles exploring characters and a setting over time.
Now Suzan-Lori Parks, a leading experimental African-American playwright, whose work has been produced by the Public Theater for two decades (including the Pulitzer-winning “Topdog/Underdog”), is unveiling the first third of her own American history cycle from her own perspective, which starts in the Civil War-era South.
Parts 1, 2 and 3, which are presented together and last about three hours combined, observe a slave who is offered his freedom in exchange for accompanying his owner as he fights for the Confederacy. After debating what course of action to take, he is seen on the battlefield, where he converses with a captured Union soldier, and later upon returning home.
Considering how bizarre and baffling most of Parks’ other work has been, it’s a relief to report that this is a challenging but comprehensible work more reminiscent of Greek tragedy than the avant-garde, which carefully explores moral dilemmas and hard choices. Jo Bonney’s simple production is led by a very capable cast that beautifully handles Parks’ lyrical language.
If you go: “Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3)” plays at the Public Theater through Nov. 16. 425 Lafayette St., publictheater.org.
