The Whipping Man

Buddy Butler directs this powerful play that takes place in the South at the close of the Civil War in Richmond, Virginia, during Passover. Playwright Matthew Lopez's award-winning story chronicles a young wounded Confederate soldier's return home, where he finds his home destroyed and two of his newly freed slaves trying to cobble a life together amidst the ruins of the house. The historic time frame is pertinent: the war is ending, an assassination takes place and Passover is being observed in the relatively large Jewish population who lived in Richmond. The performances are memorable, as is the script, the story and the staging. P.R.