“Still” brings a page of New Jersey Black history to life

Many may not know the name William Still. He was a Black, New Jersey-born son of former slaves whose work with the Civil War-era Underground Railroad earned him the title of “Father of the Underground Railroad” from the Smithsonian Institution. It is his story, and that of his family, that has been brought to life by playwright Benjamin V. Marshall in the new play Still, now appearing at Premiere Stages in Union.

We are introduced to William Still (Carl Hendrick Louis), who headed up the offices of the Vigilant Association of Philadelphia, an abolitionist group, as he meets with the wary ex-slave Peter Friedman (Brian D. Coats). Friedman is seeking information about his wife and children, all slaves.

The two men perform an elaborate conversational dance: William, trying to figure out if Peter is a spy for slave hunters; Peter, wondering if William’s claims of trying to help fugitives are a front for sending them back into slavery. In telling each other their stories, William and Peter come to realize the truth about each other — and themselves.

I have to admit, I liked the second act of Still, where William takes Peter to his family home in New Jersey, more than the first act. The first act, in which William and Peter battle with their mutual suspicions, seems to go on forever with little to no progress. However, breaking down walls of mistrust and caution built over decades is not something that is done easily or quickly. The second act, in which those walls finally break, moves with the speed of a promising spring after a long winter.

The two acts start with the appearance of three griots — African storytellers and repositories of oral histories and traditions. The griots, in ritualistic masks and costumes, prepare the audience for what they are about to see. The actors playing the griots — D. Malik Beckford, Ashley Nicole Baptiste, and Nafeesa Monroe — also play other minor characters throughout the play, as well as characters in silhouette in scenes of the past.

Louis’ portrayal of William is one of quiet dignity. He behaves cautiously because he puts himself and his family in personal danger while shielding fugitive slaves traveling to freedom. His role is that of a quiet figure in the background doing necessary work, tamping down his emotions to serve the task at hand while letting others be the more public faces of the anti-slavery movement. Coats’ Peter feels anxious for those he left behind, yet all too aware that placing trust in the wrong people will send him back into slavery even though he has bought his freedom. Peter’s face at the end of the play is that of a man who has been through many hardships, finally allowing joy and hope into his heart.

Special mention must be given to Perri Gaffney, who plays William’s mother, Charity. Although she is only seen in the second act, she presents a no-nonsense presence on stage. Appearing frail, she projects the mature inner power of one who has lived through her own hardships to find peace — and the loving wisdom to bring peace to others.

Oddly enough, the stage at the Bouer Boucher Theatre Center works against this production. It is wide and deep and mostly empty, save for a few bits of furniture. While this is fine for the second act, set in the Still home, it is not claustrophobic enough for the first act in William’s office. The conflicts written into the first act arguments between William and Peter are diffused by the sheer amount of space between them.

Peter may not want to get too close to William at the beginning, but the sheer size of the stage does not make this a problem so when they are finally physically closer to each other by the act’s end, the audience loses a sense of what that closeness represents in terms of the two men’s relationship.

As a piece of little-known history and New Jersey’s part in it, of the story of the struggle for freedom, and of the Black experience in America, Premiere Stages is to be praised for commissioning Still and for presenting it to the world. For those with an interest in  American history, or those who like a family drama with emotional catharsis, I suggest you see Still before its brief run is over.

Still is presented by Premiere Stages at the Bouer Boucher Theatre Center on the Kean University campus in Union through July 28,2024. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to premierestagesatkean.com or call 908-737-4092.