Thurgood

This evening, February 24th, 2011, HBO will televise a one-man show which features actor Laurence Fishbourne as Thurgood Marshall, the first black man to be appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States.

This one-act play allows Fishbourne to age from youth to old age as we follow the storied career of one of America's most successful civil rights lawyers. This narrative is augmented with slides projected on the wall behind him that illustrate anecdotes from his past, which range from the classic naked baby on the rug, up to and beyond his wryly contentious relationship with Lyndon Baines Johnson.

The script is brilliant, it combines the dry legalese that surrounds litigation with humor-laced observations of opponents; relates youthful experiences with the wisdom that resulted; reflects on his parents and his teachers and their essential contributions to his life.

This is an enjoyable way to review landmark events in our history, enlivened by personal insight on how they came about.