If you're in New York today (Sunday) and looking for something to do in the afternoon, consider checking out Thurgood. It's a one-man show about the life of Justice Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993), starring Laurence Fishburne (best known as Morpheus of The Matrix, but with a long list of other film and theater credits).

It's an entertaining and educational production, and Laurence Fishburne turns in a superb performance. As one friend of ours, an ex-theater major, put it, "Fishburne was able to make the audience forget that this is a one-man show."

As one might expect from a play based on the life of a heroic historical figure, Thurgood occasionally verges on the pedantic and preachy ("one person can make a difference"; "we know how far we've come -- but we also know how far we still have to go"). Law nerds might find feel patronized by the more expository parts of the play, like the mini-reviews of Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education. You can often sense the "message" button being pushed.

But hey, everyone needs a refresher course every now and then. And there are enough interesting bits of biographical trivia -- as well as ample entertainment, in the form of humorous anecdotes from Marshall's life, well-told by Fishburne -- to make you forgive the more didactic or heavy-handed elements.

If you'd like to see Thurgood, you need to act fast; it's closing today. The 3 p.m. matinee is the final performance. You can probably get discounted tickets at the TKTS booth (since Thurgood was there last week, and there were definitely a few empty seats at the performance we attended yesterday).

Additional thoughts -- if you're planning on seeing the play, save these for later, so you can form your own opinions free of taint -- after the jump.