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Whether it was intentionally scheduled or not, putting “The Whipping Man” on stage this month is a good reminder of how interconnected the lives of Blacks and Whites in this country are.

The production, on stage through March 1, at the Pasadena Playhouse, is set in a ransacked, dilapidated southern plantation owned by a Jewish family at the end of the Civil War.

The lives of three men intersect—two slaves and the master’s son who also happens to be a confederate captain and is played by Adam Haas Hunter. But what is ironic is that as the play progresses, the three discover that despite their respective stations in life, they are connected in ways much more intimately than the fact that they all lived on the same plantation. As the action continues, secrets are revealed that ultimately push the character Simon, portrayed by Charlie Robinson (NBC’s “Night Court”) out of the holding pattern he had been in.

While “The Whipping Man” is mostly a drama, there is an element of comedy infused in the antics of John, a former slave portrayed by Jarrod M. Smith, who has developed the habit of “finding” things. This includes a collection of fine clothes.

Overall, “The Whipping Man” offers two hours of educational and enjoyable entertainment.

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