Review of “Klan”: A Shakespearean Tragedy of Absurdity
Once upon a time in the land of Colorado, a modern-day Shakespearean hero emerged from the shadows, and his name was Ron Stallworth. Picture this: a black cop infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan. It’s like watching Hamlet decide to moonlight as a jester at King Claudius’ court—awkward, hilarious, and deeply tragic all at once.
Act I opens with Ron, our brave protagonist, dialing up the Klan like he’s ordering a pizza. “Hello, is this the hate-filled organization with a side of ignorance?” he quips to the unsuspecting members on the other end. His voice drips with sarcasm as he charms the socks off these racists, who, ironically, are too blinded by their own bigotry to realize they’re chatting with a black man. It’s like watching a catfish play poker with a bunch of fish out of water—it’s amusing, but you know it’s going to end badly for someone.
As Ron continues his undercover escapades, he recruits his trusty partner, a white officer named Flip. Flip is the kind of guy who’d show up to a barbecue with a potato salad that has raisins in it—well-meaning but utterly clueless. He’s charged with the rather precarious task of showing up at Klan meetings in Ron’s place. “Just act like you’re not a complete idiot,” Ron instructs, which is like telling a dog not to bark at the mailman. Flip’s awkward attempts to blend in are a spectacle, as he stumbles through conversations about white supremacy like a toddler learning to walk.
As the plot thickens, Ron’s rise to the top of the Klan hierarchy is as swift as a Shakespearean villain’s descent into madness. He becomes the ‘leader’ of these hate-mongers, which is both ludicrous and terrifying. “To Klan or not to Klan, that is the question,” he muses, while secretly plotting to sabotage their nefarious plans. The irony drips like a poorly executed Shakespearean soliloquy—here’s a black man orchestrating the downfall of a group hell-bent on his oppression, all while they’re blissfully unaware of the ruse.
In the climactic scenes, Ron and Flip manage to foil a series of lynchings and hate crimes with all the finesse of a Shakespearean comedy gone awry. Picture the Klan members, all decked out in their white robes, getting outsmarted by a duo that could easily be mistaken for the odd couple—one suave and smooth, the other a lovable oaf. Their attempts to uphold their twisted ideals are thwarted by a man who knows how to play the game better than they do, which leads to a series of laugh-out-loud moments where you can’t help but root for the underdog.
As the curtain falls, we’re left with a poignant reminder of the absurdity of hatred and the lengths one man will go to undermine it. Ron Stallworth’s story is a modern-day comedy of errors, wrapped in a Shakespearean tragedy of epic proportions. The irony is palpable, and you can’t help but chuckle through the tears as the Klan members are outsmarted at every turn. “Thus, I triumph,” Ron seems to say, as he hangs up the phone one last time, leaving the Klan members none the wiser. In the end, “Klan” is a tale of bravery, absurdity, and the power of one man’s wit against a sea of ignorance. Bravo!