Do you fight on the side of systemic slavery in order to gain your own freedom?

Imagine you were given a choice to fight for ISIS — technically we have that choice­ — and in return they offer you the ultimate reward. ISIS is offering you the one thing you have always wanted, freedom. How that freedom would manifest will vary from individual to individual. The dilemma is whether or not you will knowingly fight for the wrong side if it means a chance to receive what you have always wanted.

Here’s another example. Imagine you are a slave in the confederacy and your owner offers you your freedom if you go to war with him as his valet. Do you fight on the side of systemic slavery in order to gain your own freedom? This is the scenario which begins Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2, & 3) at Intrepid Theatre.

It would be impossible to imagine a show which has grander themes than Father Comes Home. A father returning from war is embedded deep in the morphic resonance of our human experience going all the way back to Odysseus returning to Ithaca.

This show adds the specter of slavery and the American Civil War to the concept of a returning hero. Odysseus was on the winning side, but he wasn’t fighting for or against anyone’s freedom.

Morally speaking the Achaeans were probably in the wrong during the Trojan War. Maybe Turkey should seek reparations from Greece.

Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks explores these mammoth themes in the same way Homer does — through fictional individuals who experience them.

The main character’s name is Hero and even though the action is set in 1862 there is no attempt made at historical accuracy so far as accents, linguistics, or music is concerned. Thank God. Have you ever read Civil War-era letters?

This is a story in a specific setting but spoken with our current linguistic habits. This is, in my opinion, by far the best way to approach historical fiction. The amount of time, talent, energy, and money required to reconstruct the American South, so to speak, would add nothing to the power of the stories being told by Father Comes Home. The power of the themes within the story far exceeds any production values anyone could achieve. This is where live theater needs to reside. Stop trying to create a cinematic experience and stick with authenticity. Is it a compliment or a criticism when we say something or someone has, “gone Hollywood”?

Father Comes Home runs through November 5.