Continuing its tradition of thought-provoking productions, Arden Theatre Company, 40 N. Second St., presents “The Whipping Man,” a Civil War drama by Matthew Lopez and directed by Matt Pfeiffer.

In “The Whipping Man” playing on the Arden’s Arcadia Stage from October 27 – December 18, Caleb (Cody Nickell), a Jewish Confederate soldier, returns home after the Civil War and is reunited with his family’s former slaves, Simon (Johnnie Hobbs Jr.) and John (James Ijames). All members of the Jewish faith, the three men celebrate “newfound freedom” on Passover. 

“We’re at the end of the Civil War, and Richmond, where they live, was devastated,” esteemed actor, director and educator Johnnie Hobbs Jr. explained during a recent interview. “He’s in this home by himself, waiting for the family to return — waiting for his own wife to return, waiting for his daughter to return, and he’s pretty much held up in the home. One evening, in comes a confederate soldier who lives there. His name is Caleb, and I take care of him and have known him since he was a young boy. There’s another slave and we’re both recently freed.”

While the subject of slavery is routinely addressed on both stage and screen, Hobbs maintains that “The Whipping Man” takes “a different look at it,” saying, “We look at the different layers, and the writer, Matthew Lopez has penned s very fascinating piece of work that I think a lot of people would get some new insights on.

“Simon has been a slave for many, many years with this family called the De Leons,” says of his character, Simon. “He’s recently freed, this is 1865, so this is post-Civil War, and he’s a man of strong character, very religious, and has been raised in the Jewish faith. He does not read, he does not write. He speaks Hebrew — he’s never been at the table with the family with the seder, but he and his wife would hold seders in the kitchen. They were given permission to hold their seder in the kitchen. I just think it’s really quite an interesting thing for a man to be brought under the Jewish faith. At the same time the play, not only does it explore that element of him, but it also looks at the confluence of his own Christianity and the Jewish. It’s a very provocative kind of play.”

“We are proud to introduce up-and-coming playwright Matthew Lopez to Philadelphia audiences with ‘The Whipping Man,’ says Terrence J. Nolen, the Arden’s Producing Artistic Director. “This unexpected story rooted in history will inspire great discussion about religion, identity and freedom, and I’m thrilled with the team of artists we’ve assembled to bring the play to life in our stage.”

Hobbs, a tenured associate professor at Ira Brind School of Theatre Arts at the University of the Arts, and perhaps best known for his longtime association with Freedom Theater, made his Arden debut in the 2009/10 production of “The Blue Door.”

“The Arden, they’re a highly respected regional theater and they’re doing challenging work and making an effort to really look at Philadelphia talent,” Hobbs said. “Not just go outside, but look at Philadelphia talent, and they’re very proud of it. They do a lot of quality work, and quality craftsmanship in terms of the designs and the aesthetic, and the collaborations that go on, so it’s really a pleasure to work at the Arden, and this kind of play is a pleasure to undertake and quite challenging.” For tickets to “The Whipping Man,” call (215) 922-1122 or visit www.ardentheatre.org.

Contact entertainment reporter Kimberly C. Roberts at (215) 893-5753 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .