A story of brotherly love and sibling rivalry is at the heart of Canadian Stage’s latest production, a revival of the award-winning modern classic Topdog/Underdog.
Written by renowned playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, the iconic American classic is the Toronto-based theatre company’s opening play for the fall season.
Topdog/Underdog was first produced in 2002 and won a Pulitzer, marking the first time a Black woman had won the Best Drama Prize. The play was also considered one of the best American plays of the last 25 years, according to the New York Times in 2018.
Canadian Stage’s revival of the play marks the second major production of the show in Toronto. The first was in 2011 when The Shaw Festival and Canada’s leading Black theatre company Obsidian Theatre co-produced the show, which earned three Dora Mavor Moore awards for: Outstanding Production of a Play, Outstanding Male in a Principal Role Nigel Shawn Williams and Outstanding Direction Philip Akin.
Topdog/Underdog tells the story of two African-American brothers who cope with poverty, racism, work, women, and their troubled upbringings.
“It’s about two brothers… who find themselves in this pretty down and out predicament in their lives. One of them used to be a major card shark…but then his right-hand man got shot and he has since been outed as a drunk, who’s working as a Lincoln impersonator at a fair, so he’s low. And then his younger brother, Booth, is an extremely talented thief but is a big planner, makes a lot of plans, but isn’t really able to execute a whole lot,” Toronto actor Sébastien Heins, who plays the older brother Lincoln, told Now Toronto.
The play evolves into a tangle of secrets, lies, and one-upmanship, in a darkly comic story of family identity.
Mazin Elsadig plays the younger brother Booth, who is also referred to as the underdog in the play, and said he could personally relate to his character.
“I’ve always felt like the underdog. And growing up…I had many friends that I feel like I was their sidekicks and never felt like the top dog…I think also, as a Black man growing up in Toronto, like, Black American television, Black American culture is so prevalent in my life and was so prevalent growing up, so it feels very familiar,” Elsadig told Now Toronto.
Canadian Stage’s production of Topdog/Underdog is directed by Ghanaian-born, Toronto-based theatre practitioner Tawiah M’Carthy. Both Elsadig and Heins praised the notable playwright and director for his talent, and said that he put a tremendous amount of thought and consideration into the imagery in the production and its potential impacts.
“Not to give too much away, but there’s violence in the show between two Black men. And he’s (M’Carthy) aware of the reverberations of seeing something like that. He’s aware of the reverberations of gun violence in the Black community. And the way that Black depression and sadness is profound in its own way, and it feels like he’s just really aware of that and those sorts of sensitivities,” Heins said.
“I feel very taken care of by him,” Elsadig added. “We do check-ins, you know, almost every morning. And he cares for us but also is pushing us to get where we need to get to.”
With Elsadig and Heins being the only stars in the nearly three-hour production, the pair had to bond quickly over their nearly three-week rehearsal schedule to form a familiar sibling relationship.
“I tried to get drinks with him before we started and I never heard anything back…and I was like, ‘OK, I guess this is what it’s gonna be like, alright,” Elsadig joked, when recounting first meeting Heins.
“We’ve gotten along very well, almost immediately…I think our personalities really complement each other. And I think there’s a mutual respect. And, I don’t know, we just love each other,” Elsadig added.
Heins shared that Elsadig and him established a deep trust for each other as they had to be vulnerable and open during the process of creating this production.
“Doing this show means that we have to show parts of ourselves that we wouldn’t show maybe a friend we’ve known for 10 years, you know, like I’ve seen some really scary looks in this guy, Heins said while laughing. “And also, like, had my heart break seeing him go through things. So, I feel like I’ve been given access to very intimate parts of him in just a couple of weeks and that creates a bond and a trust.”
Topdog/Underdog is showing at the Berkeley Street Theatre until Oct. 15. Tickets can be purchased on Canadian Stage’s website.
Editor’s Note: This story previously said Canadian Stage’s revival of “Topdog/Underdog” was the first major production in Toronto but that has since been corrected.
