I never expected that "Ben Butler," a legal drama about slavery, would be so funny.
But then Butler, a litigator turned Union general in the Civil War, and Shepard Mallory, the fugitive slave whose fate Butler must decide, both make a habit of confounding people's expectations.
Milwaukee Chamber Theatre opened a lively production of Richard Strand's play Saturday evening, under Michael Cotey's direction. This production finds room for both flashes of Wildean banter and searing argument about freedom and equality.
In real life, Butler made a decision about fugitive slaves while commanding a Union-held fort in Virginia that eventually would become the North's standard policy. Strand's play dramatizes how Butler came to that decision.
Not long after Butler (Drew Brhel) assumes command of Fort Monroe in Virginia in 1861, at the beginning of the war, his adjutant (Chase Stoeger) brings him fugitive slave Shepard Mallory (Marques Causey), who requests asylum.
As Butler explains, the Fugitive Slave Law makes his duty clear: He must return Mallory. But the escapee wears Butler down on several fronts. Mallory builds fortifications, and would rather do that for the North. More personally, the bright, argumentative Mallory forces Butler to realize how alike the two men are. Some of the fun of this play is in hearing one man, in a later scene, throw a word used by the first back at him, or at another antagonist.
After finding rapport with Mallory, Butler faces the dilemma of how to respond to the haughty Confederate officer (David Sapiro) arriving under a flag of truce to reclaim Mallory, who will surely be put to death.
Brhel gives us a rumpled Rumpole who grasps the dissonance between the law and what is right and follows his heart. Causey is note-perfect as Mallory, a brave and desperate man. The Causey-Brhel dialog that ends the first act is one of the most engaging scenes I've witnessed this theater season.
Stoeger's comic chops make him an excellent foil and sounding board.
Finally, I've never seen a performance where little glasses of sherry played such a critical part. If I had one in my hand right now, I'd toast everyone involved in this excellent production.
Milwaukee Chamber Theatre performs "Ben Butler" through April 28 at the Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway. Visit milwaukeechambertheatre.com or call (414) 291-7800.