The Cost of Justice: A Review of "Nat Turner in Jerusalem" at American Players Theatre

Mary Wisniewski, NewCity Stage

There’s a scene in “Nat Turner in Jerusalem” in which actor Jim DeVita shows that his character, lawyer Thomas Gray, is afraid of Gavin Lawrence’s Nat Turner.

DeVita does this by making small, mincing steps around the edge of the small prison set, trying to get as far away from the shackled Turner as possible. It’s ridiculous, since the space is too small for the two men to avoid each other. A lesser actor would have milked this for laughs and exaggerated it, but DeVita is too good for that. His action is subtle—just enough to unlock a treasure chest of revelations. Gray is afraid, Gray is trying to be dignified and failing, and the charismatic Turner can intimidate him just by standing still.

This interplay between Gray and Turner is an example of the fine acting in this production, directed by Tyrone Phillips, founding artistic director of Chicago’s Definition Theatre and staged at APT’s intimate, indoor Touchstone space. Playing for ninety intense minutes without intermission, this is theater for grownups, telling a story without easy answers. Was Turner mentally ill, leading to the slaughter of women and children because of delusional visions? Or was he a prophet, taking holy vengeance against the evil of slavery in a way that made whites actually pay attention? The 2016 play by Rockford-born Nathan Alan Davis asks what justifies violence, a question that resonates with today’s global struggles.

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