'Baron of Brown Street' at Akron's Rubber City Theatre brings true local story to life
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Akron actor Brian O. Jackson is tackling his biggest dramatic role yet playing Lenny King in the world premiere of Akron playwright Eric Mansfield's "Baron of Brown Street," running Friday through Sept. 16 at Rubber City Theatre in Akron.
The story is inspired by true events that occurred in Akron in 2007, when King, a homeless man who lived in a tent under the Brown Street bridge, was attacked by strangers who set him on fire. When King's attackers were in court for sentencing, he faced the men who hurt him and told them he forgave them.
That moment in court made headlines and Mansfield, who was then a newscaster for WKYC, interviewed King under the bridge, where he returned to live after the attack. At the time, King showed him his scars on his arms and stomach from his severe burns.
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Mansfield never forgot King or his extraordinary capacity to forgive.
"This traumatizing happened in the open and he returned to the exact same spot because he was able to forget that, which just amazed me what an incredible heart he had, " the playwright said.
'Baron of Brown Street' actor delves into complex emotions
Jackson was attending Firestone High School when the brutal attack on King occurred but he hadn't heard his story until Rubber City Theatre director Joe Soriano offered him the lead role and sent him the script.
He was drawn to Lenny's story and the fact it was a true local story. In the play and in real life, Lenny could forgive others but had a hard time forgiving himself for choices he made that led to his homelessness and being estranged from his family.
"I read through it and I fell in love with it," Jackson said of the script. "I was so intrigued by the character of Lenny .... I knew how it felt to kind of struggle with forgiving yourself while still being able to forgive others. So that really drew me into it."
"I see myself as a very sympathetic person," the actor said. "I do kind of feel similar to Lenny in that I try to see the best in people, as best I can, and treat others with kindness and respect. But I you know, I'm a human being and I struggle with kind of giving myself that same kindness."
Jackson, whose forte as an actor has been comedies, has enjoyed the challenge of playing the title role in Mansfield's drama. He remains on stage for the entire play.
"It's definitely different from my usual style. I've kind of always been more of a comedy guy, but I've done a number of dramas, including lead parts in dramas. This is definitely one of the heaviest shows I've ever done, especially as a lead," he said.
"It's kind of just really delving into the character and doing a lot more character work and really trying to understand and get into their head."
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Jackson's dramatic work has included co-starring in "The Waverly Gallery" at Weathervane Playhouse and performing in the musical "Next to Normal" at North Canton Playhouse.
In casting the role of Lenny, Soriano and Mansfield were looking for an actor who was both compassionate and could bring Lenny's emotional scars to life. Those complex emotions included Lenny's new defensiveness after the attack.
"It's a wide range of emotions and a lot of it is nonverbal, and Brian can do that," Mansfield said.
As a result, it takes a lot of work to create the character. As Lenny, Jackson has to cry, hide when Lenny's afraid and chase people away. The person he's able to most be himself with is fellow homeless man Mark, played by Cleveland actor David Bays.
Story of Lenny King
In "Baron of Brown Street," Lenny becomes an overnight celebrity after the story of his forgiving heart makes the newspaper. But soon, strangers appear under the bridge trying to exploit him for their own gain. Those characters include an attorney, a photographer, local church members and a developer.
Producing the new "Baron of Brown Street" in its main-stage season is part of Rubber City Theatre's mission to produce new works.
"We are committed to supporting new works from local playwrights and this powerful story deserves to come to life in the same town where Lenny King survived this assault and then showed us all a lesson in forgiveness," Executive Artistic Director Lane Leasure said in a statement.
Mansfield, who works in public relations at Kent State University, is also working on his MFA in playwriting from KSU, which he expects to complete in 2025. He has already received a high accolade for "Baron on Brown Street:" a second-place Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting Award from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in March.
This is his second collaboration with Rubber City Theatre, which premiered his military drama "Love in Reserve" in 2021.
Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.
Details
Drama: "Baron of Brown Street"
Where: Rubber City Theatre, Sandefur Theatre at Guzzetta Hall, University of Akron, 157 University Ave., Akron
When: Friday through Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 14, 2:30 p.m. Sunday
Onstage: Brian O. Jackson, Isabelle Bailey, David Bays, Andrew Keller, Cait McNeal, Zach Palumbo
Offstage: Eric Mansfield, playwright; Joe Soriano, director; Dane CT Leasure, lighting and scenic designer; Irene Mack-Shafer, costume designer; Julia Fisher, intimacy director; Barbara Kozlov, stage manager
Cost: $12-$40
Information: rubbercitytheatre.com
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Rubber City Theatre tells true tale of 'Baron of Brown Street'
