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An unfashionable black-white dilemma

The Emperor Jones

The Wooster Group

Studio Theatre, Cultural Centre

Ends today

At the heart of this one-act play by Eugene O'Neill lie the themes of race and self-denial. What happens when you deny your racial origin, cultural heritage and basically who you are?

The Wooster Group from New York gives a creative interpretation to this thought-provoking 1920 work. Brutus Jones, played by actress Kate Valk, is a convicted murderer who escapes a life prison sentence in the United States to establish himself as the self-appointed emperor of an island in the West Indies.

Despite being black, and supposed to be in slavery at the time, the African-American assumes the persona of a free white man and plots to exploit the natives with an English trader.

It is only after a series of apparitions that reminds him of who he is that he finally confronts his true identity. But the realisation comes too late as the rebelling natives pursuing him finally catch and kill him.

Valk turns in an extraordinary performance as Jones. Her portrayal in the show, directed by Elizabeth LeCompte, is so compelling at times that you forget this is a white woman playing a black man. She is supported by some clever and effective use of sounds, video visuals and lighting.

Given that this is 2009 Hong Kong, having a Caucasian woman playing a character in blackface is bound to have less impact than when it was staged by The Wooster Group in the US some 15 years ago. Trying to simply work out some of the dialogue, spoken in heavy accents, also makes the show less accessible.

The idea that a black man has to be white to rule also appears dated, especially since the US now has an African-American for a president. But this show remains challenging.

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