The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/1/08 Section: Variety

Media Credit: ILANA McQUINN Mario Haynes (rear) plays Boothe and Elliott Dixon plays Link, two brothers in the production of "Topdog/Underdog" that will show today and Wednesday in the Arena Theatre in the Fine Arts building. [Click to enlarge]

Issues of poverty, race, identity and family dynamics coalesce in the latest student-produced play, "Topdog/Underdog."

Written by poet Suzan-Lori Parks, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play tells the story of two brothers' rivalry as they struggle to overcome their impoverished circumstances.

Abandoned by both parents while they were teenagers, Link and Boothe have had to rely on one another to survive. Now that the men have reached their 30s, their relationship tenses as the brothers try to surpass one another in life.

"The play has many layers," said the director, Kalina Bakalova, who is a third year doctoral candidate in theater. "The language is absolutely wonderful, with the rhythm of the spoken word."

Elliott Dixon, a freshman majoring in political science, portrays the older brother Link, who rejects a life of petty crime and makes a living portraying Abraham Lincoln at an arcade.

Forced to paint his face white and allow people to take turns shooting him, Link constantly is tempted to return to his former life where he was respected as a master of three-card Monte, a card trick.

"He is the typical tough guy who you can tell has been submerged in a hyper-masculine society to the point where he doesn't show emotion," Dixon said about his character's grim outlook. "There are times when it starts to come through and you can tell he's trying to hold it back."

Boothe, the younger brother, is the underdog compared to Link. He obsessively plays three-card Monte in hopes of making money on the streets and beating his brother at the game.

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