The first frames of writer-director Greg Kwedar’s moving drama, ‘Sing Sing,’ is a tight shot of John Whitfield, otherwise known as “Divine G” (exquisitely played by Colman Domingo based on Whitfield himself), reciting a monologue from William Shakespeare’s 1595 play, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ basked in theatrical stage lights. In thinking about the incarcerated, those opinions tend to operate from a narrowed mindset — often depicted in much of the media we consume. It’s rooted in savagery, not allowing nuance or complexity to shine. Thus, we are presented with a story co-written by Kwedar and writer Clint Bentley based on the maximum-security prison in upstate New York of the same name, where the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program allows a group of incarcerated men to forge friendships, untangle their complicated emotions, and transport themselves beyond the concrete walls through theater.
After another successful play, it’s time to figure out the next one for the program to tackle. Within the discussion of figuring out what’s next, there’s also a discussion of looking through the waitlist to see who will be the next person to join the program. Divine G is highly regarded within the prison, undoubtedly talented in production and often working on composing his plays. Within those bursts of creativity, he’s hard at work on the defense for his clemency hearing, as it is noted G is incarcerated for a crime he did not commit.
His belief in the program and his right-hand man Mike, Mike (Sean San José), prove to be a shining light for a place that could use any amount of it. Kwedar interspaces disruption throughout this narrative, ranging from alarm drills in the yard to room searches, leaving many of Divine G’s belongings strung and messed up. However, Kwedar’s focus zeroes within the meeting space where exercises, breathwork, and collaboration happen within this program.
Sing Sing / Photo Credit: A24
Divine G and Mike Mike zero in on a new potential person to join the program. Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin (played by Maclin himself, who is also a former RTA participant) Divine Eye is a little abrasive and rough around the edges. Still, he impresses Devine G with his curiosity about King Lear and is invited to the program. Should they do another drama-filled play or not? That is the pressing question at hand. Divine G alludes to possibly doing an original composition named “Fine Print,” but Divine Eye offers another perspective in tackling something more comedic. It’s not that his main point is invalid, either. If you spend years in a place worrying about safety and despair, don’t you want to use leisure time as a means to get away from it all? RTA representative and director Brett (Paul Raci) takes on the task of forging an original composition and is successful within a weekend.
The play itself? Well, it’s a Frankenstein of ideas from the group themselves — time travel, Peter Pan, Freddy Krueger, Hamlet, and ancient Egypt are all wrapped up into this story that the group themselves acknowledge extensive plot holes within. It’s not so much that the play has to work like an extensive Broadway production – these men have the runway to flex their imaginative muscles, which otherwise would be repressed.
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A contentious relationship between Divine Eye and Divine G fits neatly within the scenes where we understand the players on a deeper level—G’s standing as the program leader gets upended when Eye is chosen to be Hamlet in the upcoming production. On the flip side, Divine Eye is encased in a certain ruggedness his life and prison have placed upon him. At first, it doesn’t allow him to be vulnerable enough to allow him to let his guard down within the role. Both men must navigate their personal challenges to achieve the greater good and build a friendship. It’s not only the own set of difficulties prison entails; it’s the before and after of living a regular life when society has already deemed you something. Aside from gearing up for the biannual production, Kwedar allows the characters to contemplate the things they’ve been told about themselves and peel back the layers bit by bit. They sit with their mistakes and wonder if they will be forever shut out from the life experiences they desire or alter the outlook of people closest to them.
Domingo’s performance is the anchor, and he invests fully in the emotional states required. Divine G is the intellectual center and a beacon of hope, hinging on his impending defense. Slowly, things begin to slip, and even G’s strong understanding cannot withstand the unending bureaucracy of his situation. Divine Eye then shifts into a shoulder to cry on, now able to see his potential on his journey and lending words of encouragement to someone who saw more within himself.
Time might stand still in Sing Sing, but the outside world doesn’t. While these men prepare to play characters pulled from different eras, loved ones pass away, and relationships with family and children become more estranged. Within the entirety of the RTA program, there’s a 3% recidivism rate, proving that art is a restorative process. As one character says, “We’re here to become human again.” So, shouldn’t we provide more chances of rediscovering that? ‘Sing Sing’ gives the necessary breath to complicated experiences and an outstretched hand looking for hope in an open window all the same.
Photo Credit: A24
