Booth's brother lives, breathes in 'Tragedian'

Rodney Lee Rogers has the privilege as well as the awesome responsibility to be the co-founder of PURE Theatre, plus actor, director and playwright.

Thursday night at PURE's latest venue, the Circular Congregational Church, Rogers gave a virtuosic performance in the world premiere of his "The Tragedian." A one-man tour de force, the drama details the life not of Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth, but his brother Edwin.

Edwin's story rivals the endlessly examined life of John, his stage experience and his interesting life. The author/actor effectively uses 19th century language as well as quoting Shakespeare. But it is the use of stage techniques that fascinates and makes this production a wonder.

How many of the creative sparks that fly all over the intimate stage space are the brainchildren of director Peter Karapetkov and how many of them come from Rogers is immaterial.

One can imagine both of them huddled together, thinking up ingenious ways to use a cane, a length of rope, a rolling cart — the Booth within the booth, if you will.

Other, perfectly simple props defy, or rather, define the imagination. A large towel functions as a cloak, a bearskin rug, a toga of course. When it becomes an infant in Rogers' hands — and his body language conveys how precious this bundle is — then you know you are in the presence of genius.

The hall can accommodate about the same numbers as the Cigar Factory, and it would be positively immoral not to fill it to the footlights for every performance, tonight through Feb. 2.