B
aby-faced New Yorker Matthew Lopez has discovered the perfect formula for success. Part writer, part actor, all visionary—this relatively fresh face on the scene blends hard work and endless energy with a great sense of humor and charming modesty as he details his surprise to the widespread praise of his onstage creation, The Whipping Man. “…as long as they know The Whipping Man isn’t a play about S&M,” playfully jokes Lopez. No, it’s certainly not…but it’s every bit as fascinating. Picture it: Post-Civil War America. A bloodied Confederate soldier returns to his home where two of his family’s former slaves are adjusting to the reality of becoming free men.
Not bad so far! Oh, by the way, this former slave-owner is Jewish. Yup, the same kind of Jewish whose followers were enslaved forever-ago in ancient Egypt. This will certainly make for an interesting Passover!
“This play is from a Confederate point of view,” cleared Lopez. “These people honestly
believed that what they were doing was right—to no less degree than the people in the North did. Today I see these tea-partiers…these ‘tea-baggers’…they scare the hell out of me because I see the same vitriol that was exhibited in the build-up to the Civil War.” A writer’s responsibilities with cultural sensitivity are often held under a fiercely
exacting lens. Under these circumstances, our young Mr. Lopez has two such groups keeping his story straight. “The first production was done at Luna Stage in Montclair, NJ—which has a healthy
population of both African Americans and Jews. I had all these African American women coming to me in tears and then right after I talked with them, a Jewish woman would come up to me in tears. Having belonged to neither group, I feel I’ve been able to touch and speak to members of both groups. All I ever wanted to do was tell a story that was very poignant in our understanding of ourselves as Americans.” As wonderfully dynamic as this story is, slavery and the Civil War are not topics one
would immediately expect a young writer to tackle. Matthew explains why this particu- lar notch in history called to him. “I’d always been really fascinated by history being this succession of great events.
What the history books always overlook are the average people like you and me who are living their lives and are swept up in these grand events. History is always about kings and presidents, soldiers and generals. It’s never about ‘us!’ I’ve always been fas- cinated about ‘us’ in history! There was no greater calamity in U.S. history than the Civil War—as well as the idea of, ‘How do you start a life as a free man after being a slave your whole life?’ And the idea of Jewish slave owners. If Jews were not immune from it in the South, it must’ve been this all-powerful thing. I saw it as proof that we as Americans were destroyed by slavery. It was a poison pill at the center of our national identity. It warped everything and it made good men do bad things. It started our nation on very precarious footing that we are to this day still trying to get over. I don’t think the election of Barack Obama, as wonderful and joyous an occasion as that was for our country, has ended the story. This isn’t the end of a journey, it’s merely a placeholder among many.” But who is this kid and how does he know so much? Well…a kid he’s not. Matthew is
actually 33 and he used to wonder whether he should lie about his age to better fit his youthful appearance and lively, upbeat demeanor. Ultimately too virtuous to do so, he relied on his work ethic to bring him success, as his immersion approach to Judaism research demonstrates. “Having been raised Episcopalian, it was research I needed to do. I’ve consulted with
rabbis, I’ve consulted with Judaic scholars, I’ve done my own private version of gentile Hebrew school (laughter). I know that when you are not of a group, and you’re writing about that group to which you do not belong, you have a responsibility to get it right.”
Writing plays has always been something Matthew loved, but he didn’t consider the
prospect of making a living out of it until recent years. “I wanted to be an actor. I went to school to study acting and I went to New York to be
an actor. I remember at age 7 writing little plays for my friends to do in the school yard. But it wasn’t really until after I’d finished school and lived in New York for a couple years that my writing became really important to me—I discovered that I had stories to tell. And then it became all I wanted. I’d identified myself for so long as an actor—even to this day. I was telling someone, ‘I have a production at The Old Globe and I feel like in some ways I’m getting away with this great con.’ Someday someone’s going to realize, ‘Oh he’s not really a writer, he’s just an actor!’” In an alternate sequence of history, if Matthew hadn’t developed his exceptional
ability as a storyteller, he admits that he probably would have gone into politics—not as a politician, but as an advisor or strategist. “I think I would’ve been a good behind-the-scenes guy. The West Wing was like
pornography for me (laughter). I seriously contemplated it for a while. I really thought it was something I could do because so much of it IS writing and stagecraft and…make- believe. There’s very little difference between theatre and politics.” Coming to San Diego, one can imagine how alone this buoyant Brooklynite might
feel, but he’s in much better company than he first thought he would be. “One advantage of being a former actor is that I know how actors work. I’m able in my
writing to think like an actor. As a writer, you work alone. It can be a very lonely craft— you’re sitting alone in a room and you’re imagining these worlds that you hope will someday become real. You rely on a director and actors to make that happen. [Director] Giovanna Sardelli and I met about two years ago. We hit it off instantly and we knew we wanted to work together. What I love about her is that she’s able to understand things both emotionally and intellectually.” If anyone’s earned the privilege to toast l’chaim and bask in relaxation, it’s Matthew. So how does he usually take care of that? “Oh, me relaxing? It’s been so long! I wish I could say I kayak or climb mountains…
nope, I’m a New Yorker! I go to the movies and I drink! (laughter) For me, an idea of fun is making dinner for friends and having them come over—which usually means having my boyfriend make dinner for them. (laughter) I moved to Brooklyn a couple years ago and I’ve fallen in love with Prospect Park. I’ve never really lived near a major park before—like sitting here in Balboa Park which is a little nicer than Prospect Park I must say. …a little being A LOT.”
To read the full version of this interview, visit
ragemonthly.com. The Whipping Man runs at The Old Globe Theatre from May 8 to June 13. For tickets and play synopsis, visit
theoldglobe.org.
MAY 2010 | RAGE monthly 17
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