Preview: Pasadena Playhouse’s ‘Topdog/Underdog’ Examines Intense Tale of 2 Brothers

Topdog/Underdog is a haunting and wry exploration of family, race, hardship, ambition, and the scars left by the past. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, this powerful play has been an iconic part of American theater since its debut in 2001, earning the Pulitzer for Drama only a year later.

On the heels of the 2022 Broadway revival, which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, the Pasadena Playhouse’s version will continue the meaningful conversation sparked by its two only characters. Running from Feb. 26th through March 23rd, the production will be directed by Gregg T. Daniel, with scenic, costume, lighting, and sound design by Tesshi Nakagawa, Angela Balogh Calin, Jared A. Sayeg, and Jeff Gardner, respectively.

At the heart of Topdog/Underdog are two African American brothers, Lincoln and Booth, who are temporarily living together in a space fraught with tension as they struggle to make ends meet as two street hustlers. Lincoln, played by Brandon Michael Hall, has seen more successful days but now has unsteady work as a whiteface Abraham Lincoln impersonator while younger brother Booth, portrayed by Brandon Gill, longs to be a winning con artist.

Despite Booth’s aspirations to master three-card monte, his attempts are ungainly, overshadowed by a darker, more reckless side. From shoplifting to recklessly chasing after the approval of a woman named Grace, Booth’s journey is clouded by the immediacy of not just the competitive rivalry he shares with his sibling, but the abandonment of their parents — the only vestige being a meager $500 “inheritance” left to each brother.

This cash, specifically Booth’s unspent sum, ultimately becomes the catalyst for a shockingly unexpected end which raises profound questions about the brothers’ bond and whether their fates were sealed from the moment of their fractured upbringing and, subsequently, risky pursuits.

I recently spoke with Brandon Gill (Booth) about stepping into such a complex and troubled character, his approach to evincing his character’s volatile emotions, and what Pasadena audiences can expect from this gripping revival.

Booth is such a complex, tour-de-force character. What drew you to him?

Gill: Booth is a little bit of a dreamer, sometimes to the point of delusion per se. But I identify with the fact he’s a dreamer and that he wants bigger and better for himself and his brother. He has a lot of heart, passion, and personality. He’s a go-getter; the way he goes about it is not necessarily the right or ethical way, but ultimately his goal for himself and his brother are positive.

As an actor, how do you prepare for a role with such a deep emotional arc that includes ambition, anger, and vulnerability? Are there any skills you picked up at The Juilliard School or doing Shakespeare plays that you have applied here in understanding and connecting with Booth’s internal struggles? 

Gill: Absolutely — The Julliard School focuses on classical text, but they also focus on acting. And acting is acting. The dexterity of language with Suzan-Lori Parks’s words, the poetry of it, the rhythm, the Shakespearean aspect of it, and the August Wilson-ness of it all come through in the language. In school we focused on that, storytelling, and how imagination comes into play.

Mostly in terms of linking the school with the text, there’s a lot of words to put in your mouth and memorize. It’s only Brandon [Michael Hall] and I; he needs to support me and I need to support him in this story together.

In approaching the character, I discovered how this character and I are alike, how we’re different, what motivates the character, do they have a life goal, and what’s the eminent, present goal and how to achieve that.

It’s really important people see this play, understand these characters, and know the heart of these brothers. It’s not to desensitize you to violence, or violence between two brothers, especially two African American brothers. It’s not to sensationalize their economic status; it’s a story about how two brothers live and survive as Black men in America, how their family trauma has taken a toll, and how they push through — or not.

Have you practiced and maybe perfected the three-card monte?

[Laughs] Perfected it? Absolutely not. Have I gotten a good handle on it? Sure. We’ve had three-card monte consultants come in, and show us secrets of handling the cards, the history of it, and what it means in the context of card tricks. Brandon and I are getting a great lesson in three-card monte and being tricksters [laughs].

In Topdog/Underdog, the relationship between the two brothers is obviously central to the story. How would you describe the dynamic between Booth and Lincoln, and what is your take on the brotherly rivalry they share?

Gill: I think that, you know, Booth is younger and Lincoln is older — they’re five years apart. They’re very close, their parents left them at an earlier age when Lincoln was 16 and Booth was 11. They raised and took care of one another. Even though Booth is younger, he provides more for Lincoln — he gives him an apartment to stay. Booth is a professional thief — he boosts a lot and steals clothes for Lincoln. When ‘our’ mom left us, she told ‘us’ I should look after Lincoln.

Booth didn’t finish school, so he’s using what resources he has to survive. But I think there’s an admiration that Booth has for Lincoln, and he really sees that big brother veneer and values that in him; he wants to be like Lincoln. He wants to throw the cards at Lincoln, talk to girls, and be as cool as him.

In story, that image or dream starts to disintegrate for Booth as they live in this personal space together, as Lincoln denies Booth his dream to work together with his brother. He [Booth] essentially says, ‘If we worked together, it would be like the old times.’ Booth, regardless of trauma caused by his parents in leaving early, is nostalgic of memories of family life and in doing things he and his brother had to do to survive. He describes, ‘It’s you and me against the world, Linc.’ What Booth wants is a nightmare for Lincoln because it doesn’t bode the best things for him in the end. He [Lincoln] also lost his wife, which is tied to three-card monte and being outside, so there’s conflict in these dreamers; they both have dreams but their dreams conflict.

The play explores themes of masculinity, race, and the pressure to succeed. How do you think Booth’s character reflects these larger societal forces, especially as a Black man navigating America?

Gill: I think Booth suffers from the ideology, or image placed upon him, on what a Black man, a man, is supposed to be in America. So, there’s machismo, and this idea of ‘If you don’t respect me, violence is the answer.’ There’s also an oversexualization of females; I think that is something placed on all men and is the expectation unless you realize it’s not working for you or you gain a sense of emotional intelligence. These things are also adopted as survival techniques — the survival of the fittest.

Booth has a really big issue being considered a chump, punk, little brother, or less than, and I think those all point to fragile masculinity. The actions become toxic because the insecurities come up due to the masculine being fragile. The fragile masculinity causes toxic behavior as a means of survival. People are more likely to respond to violence than to the proper words and a nice ask.

This play was first produced nearly 25 years ago, won a Tony for best revival two years ago, and yet still resonates with contemporary audiences. Why do you think Topdog/Underdog remains so relevant today?

Gill: My great friend Corey Hawkins played Lincoln on Broadway — we went to school together. I think [the ideology of] family is something we all relate to and identify with. Booth and Lincoln are family, they’re brothers, and they live together; [The story] touches upon simple things like heart, family trauma, abandonment, betrayal, and love — themes that touch on humanity. And the play is vibrant; it talks about these ideas that are ever-evolving — the idea of masculinity and the idea of what it means to be successful, to achieve, and dream. And the idea of what is respectable in the community and colloquially.

The ending of Topdog/Underdog is incredibly powerful. How do you prepare for such a climactic and emotionally charged moment between Booth and Lincoln?

Gill: We actually started working on that a little bit yesterday with our intimacy coordinator — and sometimes you have the gift of being given words and having a character where you don’t have to do a lot of acting. The moment between the two brothers is just so unfortunate, so it already brings up that emotional life of loss and the sadness because I think the ending would be different if they knew a different way. Violence definitely permeates their existence of how they survive — they have to use it to survive.

Finally, how do you hope audience members at the Pasadena Playhouse will feel or reflect after seeing this fable? What is the central message or takeaway that you want to communicate?

Gill: First and foremost, I would love for the audience to come and experience this with us and not just watch it. I think that, again, this is not something people think about with this play, but there’s great heart, passion, love, and how complicated that could all be when we come from certain worlds and want certain things. I want the audience to walk away empathetic and understanding of individuals like Booth and Lincoln, and individuals who are different from themselves.

This is not a Black story; this is a story about brothers who happen to be Black. What is also interesting about Topdog/Underdog, written by Suzan-Lori Parks, who is provocative in pushing the status quo of theater, is what we should talk about and express because, colloquially in this play, these two Black brothers never use the ‘N-word.’ It’s fascinating, smart, and needs to be taken note of because, frankly, it’s a word I colloquially use with friends and close people.

And yes — our community has taken the ‘N-word’ as a word of empowerment and camaraderie with one another, but it’s interesting it’s not in the play, which speaks to Suzan-Lori Parks’s specificity in language. There’s great detail in how these men speak with each another and express themselves, and somewhere along the line it didn’t fall into the vocabulary when it’s been colloquially used which is fascinating food for thought.

Cover image caption: Brandon Gill (left) and Brandon Michael Hall (right) star in Pasadena Playhouse’s production of Topdog/Underdog. Photo by Jeff Lorch.

For more information on Pasadena Playhouse’s production of Topdog/Underdog, and to purchase tickets, visit pasadenaplayhouse.org.