X
- Not Rated
- HBO
- Not Rated
- HBO
Summary HBO presents a live performance of the solo show, Thurgood, written by George Stevens, Jr. and performed by Laurence Fishburne. In it, Fishburne depicts the life and times of the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood -- from his childhood roots to his work as a Civil Rights attorney and his time on the bench.
- Not Rated
- HBO
- Not Rated
- HBO
Thurgood
Season 1 Premiere: Feb 24, 2011
78
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
tbd
Summary HBO presents a live performance of the solo show, Thurgood, written by George Stevens, Jr. and performed by Laurence Fishburne. In it, Fishburne depicts the life and times of the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood -- from his childhood roots to his work as a Civil Rights attorney and his time on the bench.
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 9 Critic Reviews
78
89% Positive
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
11% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 9 Critic Reviews
78
89% Positive
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
11% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
It is the seamless weaving of Marshall's personal biography with the story of his tenure as chief counsel for the N.A.A.C.P., where he worked to challenge the separate-but-equal doctrine used to justify racial segregation in the decision of Plessy v. Ferguson, that keeps Thurgood a work of such enthralling theater and television.
It's just plain good--fast-paced, emotionally engaging and even transporting at times. Much of the credit goes to Fishburne's performance, but there other important factors, like the way in which Stevens' script captures Marshall's liberating sense of humor, and the rich look of the overall production.
Students of Marshall's life and times won't find any new information here, but the personal shadings are crucial because they humanize what might otherwise have been dry textbook details. Stevens and Fishburne find a strong emotional through-line for Marshall's greatest triumphs: the desire to right injustices visited upon Marshall, his family and his people.
While he can be matter-of-fact, bemused and self-deprecating, he never loses a sense of forcefulness, purpose and pride. As Fishburne obviously understands, the story requires no hand-waving or rhetorical embellishment.
Fishburne captures Marshall's larger-than-life qualities, and in his playwriting debut, Stevens endows his portrait with a ripe sense of humor.
Thurgood feels more "important" than dramatic. Part of it is Stevens' then-I-did-this structure, more focused on biographical bullet points than the flesh-and-blood human behind them. And part of it is Fishburne, who despite coiled power--his Ike Turner in "What's Love Got to Do With It" was Oscar-nominated--resonates here as a cool character rather than a fiery one.
It probably works better onstage, but Stevens should know that what you do to achieve suspension of disbelief in a theater is not what you do to convince an audience that what it is seeing in a film is real.
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Production Company:
- The Stevens Company
Initial Release Date: Feb 24, 2011
Number of seasons: 0 Seasons
Rating: Not Rated
Genres:
Awards
Primetime Emmy Awards
• 3 Nominations
Image Awards (NAACP)
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
Black Reel Awards
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations