“American Son” starring ‘Scandal's” Kerry Washington, and “Newsies” and “Supergirl’s” Jeremy Jordan, focuses on racial tension in today’s society. The show opens on Washington’s character, Kendra, anxiously checking her phone at the local police station, at 4:00 in the morning, in Miami Florida. The rain continues to fall and the thunder begins to pound and lightning flash. Kendra is searching for her 18-year-old son Jamal. All she knows is the vehicle which Jamal drives was involved in a traffic stop.

In walks Jordan’s character Officer Paul Larkin, who is a rookie cop put on the late night duty. Kendra pleads with Larkin to tell her where Jamal is but Larkin does not know and is not under authorization to tell her. Later Kendra’s white FBI agent husband Scott (played by Broadway’s own Steven Pasquale) enters looking for Jamal as well.

According to the “American Son” official website,  ““American Son” is a gripping tale about who we are as a nation, and how we deal with family relationships, love, loss, and identity.” The show is all about perception and asks you to go in with an open mind. On the playbill, it states that the show is supposed to be a conversation starter and that the gut-wrenching finale is only the beginning of the story.

“American Son” is open now until Jan. 27 at the Booth Theater on West 45th Street in Manhattan. You can purchase tickets at  https://americansonplay.com/