Anatomy of a Solo Show: Thurgood

So you're preoccupied with a certain historical icon, perhaps even obsessed. You've researched his or her life backward and forward. You know everything one could possibly learn about this person, from the stories he or she told at social gatherings to the fact that your idol was allergic to chocolate—and you truly believe that everyone else must know these things, too!

And yet, the thought of turning such an important tale into a cookie-cutter biopic makes you wince, and heaven forbid you put your heart and soul into a pitch for a miniseries, only to watch the project get stuck in development hell. You've decided the most effective way to dramatize your icon's contributions is through a one-person show. But how do you drill an entire life down into one riveting night of theater? How do you create a role compelling enough to carry an entire production and captivate an audience?

On the eve of his Broadway debut, first-time playwright George Stevens, Jr. shared with Broadway.com the steps that helped him transform the life of Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American to serve on the United States Supreme Court, into Thurgood, a solo piece performed by Laurence Fishburne and directed by Leonard Foglia.

1. Road Test Your Subject
In 1991, Stevens wrote and directed Separate But Equal, a TV movie about Marshall's most famous case as counsel to the NAACP, 1954's Brown vs. Board of Education. The lawyer's masterly argument before the Supreme Court resulted in school segregation being declared unconstitutional and helped Marshall earn a seat on the high court himself 13 years later. "After making that movie, I found that Marshall was still in my head," Stevens remembers. Having fond memories of Clarence Darrow, Henry Fonda's 1974 solo show about the legendary defense attorney, Stevens set about putting the rest of his extensive research to similar use. "I knew two things: that Marshall's was a life of significance and consequence, and that he was a great storyteller. He's an entertaining character."

2. Pinpoint the Time and Place
The 76-year-old Stevens knew exactly where to start. "The first line I wrote for the play—and it's still the first line—was, 'All right, let's get down to it. I've given 50 years to the law.' It all flowed from there." The setting, however, underwent a major change. When the play was first staged at the Westport Country Playhouse in Connecticut, Marshall then played by James Earl Jones seemed to be addressing the audience. For Broadway, the character is placed in a concrete locale: a lecture hall at Howard University, Marshall's alma mater. "It's important for the audience to know who this person is talking to," Stevens notes. "Otherwise, they subconsciously keep wondering why this man is telling us all this."

3. Chop, Chop, Chop
As with many solo shows, Thurgood runs 90 intermissionless minutes—not a lot of time to tell the tale of man who lived to be 84. "You know you're going to cover only a fraction of even his greatest achievements, so you settle on things of consequence," Stevens explains. "Then you let the material and your research and ideas speak to you." Hunkering down with Fishburne and Foglia offered more opportunities to tailor and refine the script. "I liked the idea of including more vignettes about Marshall's colleagues on the Supreme Court, such as Justice William Brennan, who was good friends with Thurgood," Stevens says. "But that was just detail. It interrupted the flow of the play."

4. Enlighten the Audience
Unlike Robert Morse's Tony-winning performance in Tru, about Truman Capote facing abrupt social exile, the onstage version of Thurgood Marshall doesn't question the importance of the events of his life. And the creators of the play clearly feel that their top priority is to help the audience get acquainted with a great man. Fishburne has said he didn't know who Paul Robeson was until he saw Paul Robeson with James Earl Jones on Broadway. Foglia has likened putting Thurgood together to an educational experience. "Thurgood Marshall was the architect of race relations in the 20th century," Stevens says. "Few people know that, and they should know it." Hence, reactions from preview audiences have been heartening: "First, they seem very moved by it, but then they start talking about who else should see it."

5. Find the Right Star
You may have a great script that tells a great story about a unique and important person. But all that won't add up to a hill of Broadway beans if you don't have a marquee name attached to it! Even better is when your star actor can show another side of his or her talent onstage. Unlike his often-severe screen presence, Laurence Fishburne's Thurgood Marshall is warm, charming and very funny. Says Stevens, "He's skilled in starting the story out as an old man, and then you feel him revert to a more youthful version of himself." Fishburne's performance received welcome validation when a man and two women from the NAACP paid a congratulatory visit. "They said they used to be law clerks for Justice Marshall," says Stevens. "They told Laurence, 'You must've been channeling him, you captured it so perfectly!'"