Night of the Living N-Word

Reviewed By A.J. Muhammad

In full disclosure the busy Kevin R. Free and I are colleagues as we both are on the producing team of The Fire This Time Festival. I missed developmental readings of his play "Night of the Living N-Word" which received its world premiere in FringeNYC in August, so I viewed his highly anticipated play with a blank slate.

In "Night of the Living N-word," the n-word may be symbolically dead and buried, but like characters in the iconic film "Night of the Living Dead" on which Free riffs and borrows the names of his lead characters, the n-word can't stay buried for long. It keeps rising and wreaking havoc on an interracial couple and their family. Although the play is billed as a "slasher-comedy," it is less a slasher than it is a dark psychological comedy that's both campy and provocative.

Ben (playwright and actor Kevin Free) is an actor on cop TV show and his activist wife Barbra (Eevin Hartsough playing a parody of a white woman) is uptight and self-righteous. Barbra and Ben plan to celebrate their teenage son Channing's (Aaron Parker Fouhey) birthday on the island plantation estate that Barbra inherited from her parents whose ancestors were slavers. The family is joined by Ben's father, preacher Clayton (Stanley Wayne Mathis) who has previously received Barbra's support in his effort to symbolically bury the n-word. Clayton also has an unusual interest in Channing's sexuality and has hired a private investigator (the versatile T. Thompson) to go undercover to find out personal information about Channing.

Although Barbra is invested in killing the n-word and rebelling against her racist parents, she has no problems calling a Black long time family servant "Aunt" Jinny (T. Thompson again) and benefits from the material wealth generated by her slave-holding ancestors. It doesn't take long for the play to set up that "Something bad happens" when the n-word is spoken, but at whose hands? It is the unemployed Ben, whose acting career has tanked and is perturbed by the closeness between Clayton and Barbra? Is it Barbra who is too eager to resort to violence to prevent her family from uttering the n-word? Or Aunt Jinny, who goes missing after a boat ride early on and re-appears late in the play with a shocking revelation or two?

Free gives us a post-Obama, but never post-racial, take on mixed race America, how society views mixed raced people and how they identify themselves. Free revives the debate about who can and can't say the n-word as well as the intergenerational divides between African Americans. Through Ben, we get a glimpse of the dehumanizing of the toll that racism takes on Black men in America. Barbra is presented as a well meaning white woman who can't help prescribing how Black people should live, but is unable to help Channing who is torn between the worlds of his parents while trying to maintain a romantic relationship with another young man.

By setting the play in the south instead of urban American, Free reminds us that that beneath the idyll and splendor of the south lies the real terror which he uses humor to depict: slavery, miscegenation by rape and illegitimacy, and land theft (enacted in flashbacks with non-traditionally cast Romeo Lacandola as Barbra's ancestors). Free uses the motif of mirrors throughout the play including a scene in which Barbra looks into the mirror and white America's fears of a Black man (Channing) in a hoodie is reflected back to her.  The play's ending is true to "Night of the Living Dead" which resonates all the more in modern day America with the senseless shootings of Blacks by law enforcement.

In keeping with the FringeNYC's low tech and DIY style, the cast provide sound effects using different instruments which adds to the tongue and cheek quality of the production. Locations are established by the cast holding up prop designer Joshua Coakley's black and white drawings like cue cards and Coakley's clever prop weapons evoke a theatricality that fits nicely within Free's story within a story device.

The cast expertly play the physical comedy and slapstick moments, and shift to drama when called for with ease. Broadway musical theater veteran Mathis is smooth, convincing and displays great comedic chops. It's Aaron Parker Fouhey who steals the scenes he's in as a sulky iPhone obsessed teen going through a sexual awakening and this could be one of the first plays where the n-word is used as an afrodesiac in a highly charged phone call between Channing and his would be boyfriend. Director Nicole Watson stages Free's play efficiently and doesn't overdo the silliness or camp aspects. She finds the balance between the thornier subjects, humor, and cinematic qualities of the play. Though at times the fast pacing caused a few of the more truly chilling moments to seem glossed over and some of the transitions could have been clearer.

"Night of the Living N-Word" deserves a full production where Free and his team have the time to tease out and expand the complex ideas Free compresses into the play. Free has such a crowded funhouse of ideas that it's easy to get lost in subplots and gags and he can find more gradations to the characters of both Ben and Barbra and their relationship with Channing.  Overall, Free has delivered and "Night of the Living N-Word" is just the play that should be seen regionally to generate much needed post-show conversations about race, white privilege and why it's so hard to kill institutional racism -- particularly in American theater of all places.

"Night of the Living N-Word!!" by Kevin R. Free.  Directed by Nicole Watson. Lighting Designer: Laurren Parish. Sound Designer: Carl Riehl. Dramaturg/Graphic Designer: Todd Brian Backus. Properties Designer: Joshua Coakley. Stage Manager: Clarrisa Ligon.  Production Manager: Clara Antonia Reyes.  2016 FringeNYC at The Player's Theater.  New York City. Ran Aug 16-Aug 26, 2016.

Shuffle Along, or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed

Reviewed by Daphnie Sicre

Towards the end of "Shuffle Along, or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed," Harlem Renaissance era photographer and artist Carl Van Vechten (portrayed by Brooks Ashmanskas) sings to the teams who wrote the 1921 musical Broadway musical "Shuffle Along," Sissle (Joshua Henry) & Blake (Brandon Victor Dixon) and Miller (Brian Stokes Mitchell) & Lyles (Billy Porter) that no one will remember them; no one will remember the show; and, it will fade into obscurity. That song strikes a higher cord. With the surprise announcement from the producers that they would close the show as soon as six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald (Lottie Gee) left at the end of July, the accomplishments of the current "Shuffle Along" and its entire company felt unfinished.

When you are watching a musical about the struggles the creators that first African-American Broadway musical faced and then the musical is cut short of ever reaching it true potential on Broadway today, one wonders what will the future hold for this "Shuffle Along..." as well? How will it be remembered? Will it also fade into obscurity? I hope not.

Robbed from earning any Tony Awards, especially for best choreography, producers claimed poor sales after the announced exit of McDonald, and decided to close the show early, but in reality, they did not allow the show to speak for itself. The musical is strong even without McDonald. Although she was exceptional, so was her understudy Darlesia Cearcy. The story stands on its own, and with all the other powerhouse performances from the leading cast and ensemble, anyone who saw the show would agreed and question why did it close so early?

As I was watching these incredible gifted actors giving it their all through the stories of Sissle, Blake, Miller and Lyles, I could not help but wonder were they projecting their frustrations with the politics of Broadway onto their characters. And if so, I wouldn’t blame them.

Here you have a musical that speaks of the accomplishments of the original production of "Shuffle Along." Yes, the musical would be considered racist by today’s standards, of course, especially because of its use of Blackface. But as an audience member, you can clearly understand why that was relevant then. But more importantly, as an audience we should be able to see the historical significance of the first Broadway show to be produced, written and performed by Black artists, and that should take precedence. We should be able to look past the racial divide of those times and recognize the musical's accomplishments given the 1920’s. We should be able to see these stories on stage today and celebrate its influences and how far we’ve come.

"Shuffle Along" was truly a gift to Black Theatre today. With incredible choreography by Savion Glover, dynamic performances by all cast members, and a hard, but true story of strife and struggle that artists behind the original "Shuffle Along" faced, it did not get the credit it deserved.  Had "Shuffle Along..." opened next season, and had it not ran against its counterpart "Hamilton," I am sure it would have swept the Tonys.

"Shuffle Along, or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All that Followed" Directed by George C. Wolfe. Music and Lyrics by Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake. Original Book by F.E. Miller and Aubrey Lyles; New Book by George C. Wolfe. Choreography by Savion Glover; Music Supervision and Orchestrations by Daryl Waters, Set Design: Santo Loquasto. Costume Design: Ann Roth. Lighting Design: Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer. Sound Design: Scott Lehrer. Production Stage Manager: Penelope Daulton. The Music Box 239 W. 45th Street, New York City. Ran from March 15 - July 24, 2016.

Daphnie Sicre is a full-time instructor at BMCC-CUNY, where she teaches courses in theatre, social justice, and advanced public speaking.  Some of her NYC directing credits include: "Shower Me" at FringeNYC, "Stranger" for Stage Black where she won a Best Director Award and the Audelco nominated "Not About Eve."

Turn Me Loose

Reviewed by Daphnie Sicre

For some reason, I was expecting to see Joe Morton in "Turn Me Loose" in which he portrayed the comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory with a Dick Gregory beard, even though the posters showed him without one. I thought to myself, how can you create a show about Gregory without his iconic beard? Let me assure you it can be done, because the moment Morton started talking, he was Gregory. His posture, his mannerisms and his voice were Gregory’s. Plus, the play switches back and forth from the 1960’s to present day and in the 1960s, when Gregory did not have his iconic beard he had his iconic presence.

In "Turn Me Loose" the audience is taken on a journey that exposes how little racism has changed in this country over the past five decades. Morton uses humor to discuss racism and then quiets down the audience to talk about prejudice, just like Gregory was capable of doing at his first iconic debut at the Chicago Playboy Club. Morton, relives that moment on stage where Gregory addressed a white southern audience and won them over through his humor and class. Morton also relives the moment Gregory was called to perform on the "Tonight Show" starring Jack Paar, but refused because Black comics would only perform, but were not allowed to sit on the coach and talk with Paar.  Thanks to Gregory declining the offer, the producers allowed him to stay after his performance and sit on the couch; a first on prime time for a Black comic. Through a beautiful internal monologue we understand how Gregory would later become a civil rights activist.  Gregory said, “You can not laugh social problems out of existence."

Morton’s physicality and voice of Gregory are right on. He is able to adapt, regardless of the time period, from young to old, and old to young with swiftness. For anyone who has seen videos of Gregory’s performances through time, Morton nails every moment of them.  Although the show can get preachy at times, the message is necessary as the play is relevant to today’s contemporary issues on segregation and race.

Produced on a minimalistic stage, with just three tables and a couple chairs, Morton's performance is the show. The Off-Broadway show was produced by singer John Legend, written by Gretchen Law and directed by John Guild.  It opened to great reviews, and extended its run for an additional month. Gregory was in attendance on opening night; he loved it and so did the audience.

"Turn Me Loose" by Gretchen Law. Directed by John Gould Rubin. Set Design: Chris Barreca. Costume Design: Susan Hilferty. Lighting Design: Stephen Strawbridge. Sound Design: Leon Rothenberg. Production stage manager: Erin Cass. At The Westside Theatre, 407 W 43rd St, New York City.  Ran from May 3 - July 17, 2016.

Daphnie Sicre is a full-time instructor at BMCC-CUNY, where she teaches courses in theatre, social justice, and advanced public speaking.  Some of her NYC directing credits include: "Shower Me" at FringeNYC, "Stranger" for Stage Black where she won a Best Director Award and the Audelco nominated "Not About Eve."

Macbeth

Reviewed By Karl O'Brian Williams

Image Sourced
by Classical Theatre of Harlem

With the temperature hanging hot and humid in Harlem it was perfect for a tropical re-imagining of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” produced by the Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH) and staged in the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Marcus Garvey Park. The stage design immediately took you back to the colonial West Indies, with its colors, window treatments, burlap draping, and intricate properties. However, director Carl Colfield, and his team keep the Caribbean aesthetic fresh with contemporary Jamaican, and Eastern Caribbean notes wafting through the music, the movement, the fabrics, taking liberties with the language, and even coloring the villainy that plays out before us. Hats off to all the creators for immersing us into a world that was easy to navigate as our imaginations went wild, but never too far off.

For those who maybe unfamiliar with the play, in short, Macbeth gets a prophecy from witches that he is to rule, but with the king being alive this poses a problem. He shares the prophecy with his wife Lady Macbeth. Thus is birthed not only a double ambition to get the crown, but a great plot, and a thirst for evil so relentless it’s legendary. The play remains one of Shakespeare’s most popular and quoted works.

CTH’s artistic director Ty Jones sits in the title role of Macbeth with ease, and though there were some questionable choices made, it was a strong performance. The stage however, belonged to Roslyn Ruff as Lady Macbeth. From her first entrance to her last exit she lifted the bars of the Bard’s muscular language and threw them at us with precision, passion, and painful purpose… she was on point, and you felt every piercing moment of it.  CTH favorite Anthony Vaughn Merchant once again satisfied his Harlem audience with his accessible sense of humor and charisma as the Porter. CTH followers will remember him fondly from last year’s “The Tempest.” 

The witches were a wonderful spectacle, and so too were the dancers. This had much to do with Rachel Dozier-Ezell’s costuming, and the smart choreography of Tiffany Rea-Fisher – a combination that enhanced Colfield’s overall concept, and the execution of Christopher and Justin Wader's scenic design. The music and sound, the lighting design, the projections, and the make-up aided in rooting the production to bloom at such a high level of artistry on stage that it was clear another success had been cemented for the CTH.  As it closes on July 31, run to see it!

Macbeth by Williams Shakespeare. Directed by Carl Colfield. Choreographed by Tiffany Rea-Fisher. Scenic Design by Christopher Swader & Justin Swader. Lighting Design by Alan C. Edwards. Sound Design by John McKenna. Projection Design by Katherine Freer. Props Design/Video SFX Makeup Artistry by Samantha Shoffner. Music Direction by Shayshahn MacPherson. Fight Direction by Emmanuel Brown. Stage Management by Haylee Scott. Production Management by Rachael Harris. Voice & Text Consultant by Michael Early. Assistant Direction by Amen Igbinosun. Assistant Stage Management by Chelsea Friday.  Runs July 8-31, 2016. www.cthnyc.org/macbeth

Karl O’Brian Williams is a playwright, actor, and director who currently lectures at the Borough of Manhattan Community College in the Speech, Theatre & Communications Dept. His play Not About Eve has received awards in his native country Jamaica, as well as 3 AUDELCO nominations including one for Best Playwright.

A Man Like You

Reviewed by Karl O'Brian Williams

A man is held hostage and ends up sharing meaningful dialogue with his captor over a board game, meanwhile his wife frets away at home. This is the simple set up of "A Man Like You" an original play from Silvia Cassini influenced by the real life tragedy of a terrorist attack on shoppers at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2013, which killed 67 persons. The more complex inner workings of the play however, attack all your senses like viruses looking for a host. You won’t be able to look away. The play had its world premiere earlier this year in Nairobi, and is now brilliantly disturbing New Yorkers on east fourth street until July 31st.

Cassini identifies as a Kenyan playwright, but from this work she clearly wants us to see "A Man Like You" as a universal human story that explores the differences in how faith, and largely socialization, birth place and country shape one’s perspectives and actions. The captor presents himself as Somalian, and the captured as British. One is white, one is black, one is Christian, the other Muslim, both have families, hearts and, other organs, and urges that make them want to survive, and thrive. Through an incredible set up the audience gets a glimpse into how they feel about each other as each judges the other’s racial, ethnic and religious group and tries to justify himself as victim, or soldier of a righteous cause, if you will. At times Cassini overindulges, but what’s on the stage is so engaging you keep listening. Heyer’s direction prods everything forward, and a part from some odd movement in the space, which could easily be re blocked, I can remember no dull moments.

The overall design of the show was excellent. The separation of worlds we receive and easily believe was maintained throughout, and only punctuated by the strong performances of the cast. The lighting was sublime, flickering with tension and uncertainty, and manipulating our gaze to what we needed to see or attempt to un-see. Lev Choubine’s original music haunted us, and its subtlety toyed with our emotions as much as Cassini’s words. Jenny Boote as Elizabeth the hostage’s wife was a lone figure juxtaposed between the mental and physical space of middle class ease and discomfort. Her New York debut should not go unnoted here. Matthew Stannah as North the hostage, and Jeffrey Marc as Abdi the captor, both had provocative moments, especially when their characters displayed human frailty and the kind of civility that can only happen when shreds of honesty are mixed with genuine compassion. The henchman, a character ably played by Andrew Clarke, then interrupts this atmosphere keeping the threat of death and doom ever real.

"A Man Like You" is worth seeing. It is a violent play, but not just in a traditional, blood-shedding, physical sense; the greater violence comes from its ability to provoke varied thought that constantly shifts and creates psychological battles. In debating who wins or loses these battles, if it truly matters is part of the violence.

"A Man Like You," written by Silvia Cassini. Directed by Yudelka Heyer. Directing Assistance by Christopher Wharton. Original Music by Lev Choubine. Lighting Design by Michael O’Conner. Costume & Props Design by Yedelka Heyer. Set Design by Christopher Wharton. Stage Management by Annie Rosenberg. Produced by Red Soil Productions.  Runs through July 31, 2016. At IATI Theatre 64 E4th Street. www.redsoilproductions.com

Karl O’Brian Williams is a playwright, actor, and director who currently lectures at the Borough of Manhattan Community College in the Speech, Theatre & Communications Dept. His play Not About Eve has received awards in his native country Jamaica, as well as 3 AUDELCO nominations including one for Best Playwright.

War

by A.J. Muhammad

Image Sourced by LCT3

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins says the titles of his plays have double meanings and his latest play, “War,” is no exception. As a play in which the German language acts as a barrier between estranged family members, it should be noted that in German, “war,” means “was.” Both definitions of the word describe the central conflicts in “War.”

Joanne (Rachel Nicks) is with her comatose mother Roberta, a stroke patient, at the hospital and doesn’t know why a German speaking stranger Elfreide (Michele Shay) is at her mother’s bedside. No sooner than Tate (Chris Myers) -- Joanne’s impatient and conceited younger brother who is a political strategist -- joins his sister at the hospital that the battle begins. Understandably, Tate is less than empathetic when Elfreide’s son Tobias (Austin Durant) barges into Roberta’s room insisting that Elfreide is Roberta’s half sister who was sired when their father served in War World II and was stationed in Germany. Tate is dubious when a confrontational Tobias demands Elfreide’s portion of an inheritance that Roberta promised Elfreide and he wants to transfer Roberta to a better hospital against Joanne’s wishes.

Meanwhile Roberta (Charlayne Woodard) has an out of body experience and her company in this dimension is an ape named Alpha (Lance Coadie Wilson), who communicates in sign language. Roberta struggles to make sense of memories, her dreams deferred as a middle aged educated African American woman, and how she wound up in hospital before she can come to terms with her mortality.

“War” can be considered a companion play to Jacob-Jenkins’ “Appropriate” which was about an Caucasian family who gather at the home of their deceased patriarch and discover horrible secrets about their father.  In “War” Jacob-Jenkins revisits some of the themes he mined in “Appropriate” such as unearthing family secrets and hostile siblings. Tate resents Joanne’s past irresponsibilities and also her white “regular” husband Malcolm (Reggie Gowland) whom Tate verbally eviscerates. Additionally, Jacob-Jenkins touches on an under-examined topic in theater: the experience of people of African descent in Europe which takes on a new significance in a post-BRexit Europe.  As much as characters are at odds, he also draws comparisons between both Roberta and Tobias, both of whom cared for parents with Alzheimers: Roberta did in the past for her father, and now Tobias is running on empty tending to an ailing Elfriede.

In “War” Jacob-Jenkins interrogates the concepts of race/racial categorization, family, evolution (via apes), and spectatorship. Whatever issues one can find with the script, his cast and director, Lileana Blain-Cruz are his net. Blain-Cruz balances the two worlds of Jacob-Jenkins’ adeptly and shapes the complex narrative organically. Both Charlayne Woodard and Michele Shay are welcome veteran artists and his younger actors bring heft to the crisis mode in which their characters are engulfed.

"War" by Branden Jacob-Jenkins. Director: Lileana Blain-Cruz. Sets: Mimi Lien. Costumes: Montana Blanco. Lighting: Matt Frey. Sound: Bray Poor. Stage Manager: Charles M. Turner III.
LCT 3/Lincoln Center Theater at 150 W. 65 St.  Ran from May 21 - July 3, 2016.

Skeleton Crew

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Atlantic Theater Company

Reviewed by Daphnie Sicre

Dominique Morisseau clearly has an ear for dialogue. From the realities of keeping a job after leaving prison, to working while pregnant to making it to work despite being homeless, Morisseau pays close attention to the conversations each character has in "Skeleton Crew," the third installment to her Detroit trilogy.  In it she, touches upon the lives of factory workers in the Motor City and perfectly depicts their stories at the start of the 2008 recession.

The play takes place in an auto factory break room, which heartfelt Faye (Lynda Gravatt) has appropriated as her home as the union representative for the factory and assembly line worker for 29 years. Faye mediates between Dez (Jason Dirden), a former ex-con and Reggie (Wendell B. Franking), their foreman. We also meet Shanita (Nikiya Mathis) a very visibly pregnant single mom and line worker, who also turns to Faye for advice. As the story progresses, each relationship has a deeper tie to each other than expected. Morisseau creates an interwoven tableau that explains the complexity of the human connection and the ensemble of four, masterfully un-weaves these relationships for the audience. She leave us feeling their desperation as we find out the factory is eventually closing.

Probably the least expected scenes in Skeleton Crew come from the transitions, where Adesola Osakalumi dances to original music in a rhythmic machine robot movement style, reminiscent of continuity and repletion of assembly lines. Although it seems out of place, these solo dances may be a reminder to the audience of how technology has appropriated the traditional jobs of those who used to work on assembly lines.

Morisseau isn’t just telling a story, she is telling the story of the American worker today and brining to life an American crisis by allowing the audience into the world of these factory workers.  She is reminding us that we are all involved in the state of things.  As we leave the show, we are frustrated at the injustice in the lives of these characters; and despite the feeling that little can be done about the prejudice that affects citizens of Detroit and other Detroits around the country, Morisseau reminds us just how powerful hope and resilience are in the most dire of situations.

Director Ruben Santiago-Hudson does a great job at painting this canvas on stage, through strong direction and thoughtful stage pictures. The play is also supported by a realistic set, lighting effects and projections with newspaper clippings and freighting real statistics.

Skeleton Crew by Dominique Morisseau. Directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Set Design: Micheal Carnahan. Costume Design: Paul Tazewell. Lighting Design: Rui Rita. Original Music & Sound by Robert Kaplowitz. Original Songs: Jimmy “J Keys” Keys. Projections: Nicholas Hussong. Choreography: Adesola Osakalumi; Production stage manager: Laura Wilson. At The Atlantic Theatre Company – Linda Gross Theatre, 336 West 20th Street, Manhattan, NY, Ran from May 13 - June 19, 2016.

Daphnie Sicre is a full-time instructor at BMCC-CUNY, where she teaches courses in theatre, social justice, and advanced public speaking.  Some of her NYC directing credits include: "Shower Me" at FringeNYC, "Stranger" for Stage Black where she won a Best Director Award and the Audelco nominated "Not About Eve."