From Tuesday (Feb. 3) through March 1, the Pasadena Playhouse presents Matthew Lopez’s work, The Whipping Man. Directed by Martin Benson, the Obie Award-winning Civil War drama stars CalArts’ alumnus Adam Haas Hunter (Theater BFA 07) playing the role of “Caleb” alongside Jarrod M. Smith and renowned stage and television actor Charlie Robinson.
A synopsis of The Whipping Man from Lopez’s website:
It is Passover, 1865. The Civil War has just ended and the annual celebration of freedom from bondage is being observed in Jewish homes across the country. One of these homes, belonging to the DeLeons of Virginia, sits in ruins. Confederate officer Caleb DeLeon has returned from the war to find his family missing and only two former slaves remaining. Caleb is badly wounded and the two men, Simon and John, are forced to care for him.
As the three men wait for the family’s return, they wrestle with their shared past as master and slave, digging up long-buried family secrets along the way as well as new ones. Slavery and war, they discover, warp even good men’s souls.
The Whipping Man has had 40 productions worldwide since its premiere in 2006. The show ran from Jan. 4-25 at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa and now moves to The Pasadena Playhouse for the February run. Read a Los Angeles Times review from Jan. 3.
A founding member of The Poor Dog Group theater company, Hunter was also a featured player in the CalArts Center for New Performance’s production of Prometheus Bound in 2013. He was nominated for an Ovation Award as a feature actor for his performance in The Nether that same year.
View The Whipping Man program for more information about the show.
Event Details
The Whipping Man
Feb. 3 through March 1
The Pasadena Playhouse
39 S. El Molino Avenue, Pasadena
Tickets: $30-$125
CalArts students, alumni, faculty and anyone associated or affiliated are offered a 20% discount with discount code: CIVIC20.