They mine them like gold to bring their con home. Bamboozlers at the top of their game sense the weaknesses of their pigeons (greed, dishonesty, vanity, opportunism, lust, compassion, credulity, desperation and naïveté). Thus, arrogance and self-deception increase his susceptibility to the con artist’s fraud. Of course, the fan never believes that he could be the sucker who falls for the scam. Oftentimes, the admirer of the confidence game identifies with the artistry of the hustler, who dupes his mark because he plays upon his vulnerabilities. Brothers Booth (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), and Lincoln (Corey Hawkins), have bought into the idea that to be “the man” they must do the con, in other words, financially “make a killing” easily and quickly. Clever con artists encourage the falsehoods of the American Dream, the greatest con ever, that prosperity buys happiness. Suzan-Lori Parks’ revival of her Pulitzer Prize winning Topdog/Underdog currently at the Golden Theater measures all the worst elements of America’s love affair with hustlers, grifters, swindlers, confidence men and bamboozlers. (L to R): Corey Hawkins, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in Topdog/Underdog (courtesy of Marc J.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |