One Moment of Freedom

Reviewed by Julia Stier
Theatre 40
Through August 27

When Bet (Catherine Bruhier) intercepts a punishment meant for her daughter, Lizzie (Kristal Dickerson), she is spurred to make a change in her life. For Bet and Lizzie are slaves, one of the few in the Northern state of Massachusetts.  When Bet latches onto a technicality in the new State Constitution of Massachusetts, she sues her enslaver for her freedom, and wins.

Thanks to the bravery and intelligence of the real-life Bet, this historic case led to the abolition of slavery in Massachusetts.

Helping Bet in her plight is Theodore Sedgwick (Michael Robb), a compassionate lawyer, urged to take on the case by his wife Pamela (Diane Linder).

It is especially fascinating to witness the relationship between Bet and her master, Colonel Jon Ashley (John Combs is currently filling in the role for Daniel Leslie). There is an obvious fondness between the two characters — Bet admits as much herself — but his desire for everything to remain the same is concerning. The kindly Colonel has to face the fact that no matter how benign he may be to his slaves, the act of owning another person puts him firmly in the wrong.

The play, written by Marion Zola and directed by Linda Alznauer, manages to sidestep the harmful “happy slave” trope by including the abusive behavior of the Colonel’s daughter, Alison, played with great disdain by Katyana Rocker-Cook. In contrast to all the comments Bet has to face about how “good” the Colonel is to her, Alison serves as a reminder of the cruel treatment slaves were subjected to at the whims of their masters.

Robb as Theodore feels like he stepped right out of a history book, partly thanks to Michael Mullens’ gorgeous costume design. In the character’s emphatic courtroom speech in defense of Bet’s freedom, Robb, and the playwright, manage to turn logic and law into passion and poetry. Bruhier as Bet is captivating in her quiet confidence, a woman worn down by life but finding a new passion for it in the face of her potential freedom.

While Combs as the Colonel had to be on book due to stepping in last minute, he still found the nuances of a man coming to terms that he might not be as good of a person as he believes himself to be.

However, for all that it does right, the play goes on longer than it needs to. The fiery courtroom scene of the second act is simply enthralling, and the show doesn’t need much more in that half. While it’s clear the playwright wants to give Bet her happy ending, some slimming down of scenes would allow Bet’s win to pack more of an emotional punch.

Theatre 40, 241 S. Moreno Dr., Beverly Hills. Opens Thurs., July 27; Wed., Fri.-Sat., 7:30 pm, Sun., 2 pm, Tues., Aug 15, 7:30 pm; thru Aug. 27. http://theatre40.org. Running time 2 hours, with a 15 minute intermission.