As a bookworm who used to live in Rogers Park, I’m a longtime fan of Lifeline Theatre, the small non-Equity company that specializes in literary adaptations. Its current production of “Native Son,” Nambi E. Kelley’s adaptation of Richard Wright’s 1940 novel, is one of the best Lifeline shows I’ve seen.
With thrilling direction by ILesa Duncan and a strong ensemble, Kelley’s playwriting skills shine as she transforms a book that largely takes place in the protagonist’s head into a propulsively paced one-act play. Set on Chicago’s South Side in 1939, “Native Son” is told from the perspective of Bigger Thomas, a 20-year-old Black man who accidentally kills the daughter of his wealthy white employer and becomes a fugitive from law enforcement and the mob violence of the city’s white population. Wright’s novel intersperses gripping action sequences with long passages that examine the psychological effects of systemic racism.
Without excusing Bigger’s deeds, which include a second murder and a sexual assault, Wright makes the case that segregation, poverty and discrimination were key factors in driving him to violence. Kelley’s adaptation premiered 10 years ago at Court Theatre, not far from where the story takes place, in a co-production with American Blues Theater. It has since played across the country, including off-Broadway.
The Lifeline production was my first time seeing the play, and I’ve rarely seen a book-to-stage adaptation work so well. T.