REVIEW: Hooded or Being Black for Dummies @ Theatre Battery
“Take your phones out, and turn them all the way up. Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, do it during the show. This story is unimportant.”
“You will be instructed to laugh. If you laugh at any other point, you’re racist.”
That was the jist of the pre-show announcement given to us by an African-American cop. What followed was a couple of hours of cringey over-the-top jokes about race, laughter, and rage.
But boy, was this show incredible.
Hooded or Being Black For Dummies is a new play by Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm, currently being developed in a staged development workshop by Theatre Battery before it makes its world premiere in Washington D.C. It tells the story of two black kids: Marquis and Drew, who both meet in a jail cell. As the play goes on, Drew becomes determined to help Marquis rediscover his black heritage and save him from becoming too white. Obviously, hilarity(?) and conflict ensues.
I’ll just say it right off the bat: this play was fucking incredible, and everybody needs to go see it if they can. Done. There. That’s the review.
It had so much to say about racism and the society we live in today. I don’t even know where to begin.
First off, this play made me SUPER uncomfortable. It was VERY explicit with the racism and stereotypes. It punches you so hard in the gut while screaming “This s**t still happens, people!!!” I found myself relating a little bit and feeling horrible; racism and oppression has become such an integral part of American culture and society, that it’s almost engrained in people; we acknowledge it, but do nothing about it. The things we say, while we may not mean any harm or insult, can be very assuming and unconsciously racist. In other words, we make these first impressions of say, black individuals, and jump to conclusions about not only who they are as a person, but also about other things like their upbringing and their living situations.
Something that this play has taught me is that we need to talk about it and UNDERSTAND the issue. We can’t simply acknowledge it and assume everything will be fine and dandy. There needs to be a lengthy, verbal discussion on it otherwise we’re not going anywhere.
We must TALK to others. UNDERSTAND others. Move out of our comfort zone, stop saying stuff like “This issue doesn’t apply to me.”
I digress. Probably preaching to the choir here.
The play had the most genius plot device: a laughing light. Whenever it would turn on, it was our “cue” to laugh. If we laughed at any other time, we would be branded a “racist.” As the play goes on, we learn not to trust the light. I found myself trying to stifle in a couple of laughs while light was off; out of fear that I was being racist. I would later learn that the light would actually turn on at the most inappropriate of times; it was a device that acted as a wake up call, if you would, of our unconscious views of race and jokes pertaining to race.
The post-show talk was one of the most enlightening and enriching talk-backs that I have ever attended. Some amazing discussion was happening in that room between the audience and the cast and director. One of the things that really stuck out to me was a discussion on the use of the “n” word.
[Premise: during the latter half of the play, Drew tries to coax a hesitant Marquis into saying the n word. After some provoking, Marquis finally does, but he uses it with the “er” ending rather than the “a” ending. Drew gets enraged at this use of the n word, reinforcing that the “a” ending be used, and not “er.” Marquis retaliates with his own frustrations, saying that it’s being used as both a term of “endearment” but at the same time as a term of oppression.]
Back to the question at hand: when is it appropriate to use this word? Why can black people say it, but not white people? How do we react to it? The lady who prompted this discussion was white, and a high school teacher. She has heard the word used a dozen times by her black students. She states that she doesn’t want to restrict her students from being able to express themselves, but she also doesn’t know how to act/react to the use of that word.
A young black man in the audience said: “Don’t acknowledge it. Don’t restrict their usage of it, but make sure that they don’t disrespect you either.”
The discussion for the latter half of the night then revolved around this idea of respecting one another.
It all comes down to respect and understanding ultimately.
I could go on and on and on about this show and about the topic at hand, and the discussion that took place, but typing it all out on a blog post would be futile. I could only encourage those that read this to keep the conversation going. Ask questions. Understand one another.
Talk. Listen.
I will never, EVER understand what it’s like to be black in America. But the least I can do is to listen, ask questions, and have a discussion about these issues.
You may have noticed that I only posted one review last night.
That’s because I had reservations about reviewing the show that I saw yesterday, only because it wasn’t a professional production, but rather a student-run one. This is not to say it was horrible by any stretch of the imagination, nor do I think that it isn’t worth reviewing. Now I’m trying to put this into words without being condescending, but I just had reservations about critiquing a piece of work where a bunch of its cast and creatives are students; aspiring theatre makers like myself. We are all learning here, and I feel like that I’d be putting these guys down and bringing myself above them by making a review.
I hope this makes sense.
That being said, I REALLY do want to talk about it. I think it’d level things out if I talked about it rather than analyze and critique it. Here we go!
I saw Village Theater’s KIDSTAGE production of Sweeney Todd, and I have to say, for what it was, it was incredible. I have nothing but positive things to say about this production.
Entirely run by students; cast, crew, creative team, tech, EVERYTHING, and performed in a smaller black box theater, this production was my first intro to Sweeney Todd. And boy it was a great time. AMAZING performances and voices. It was really amazing to see all of these people about my age, if not slightly younger, create something with the resources that the KIDSTAGE program gave them. Not to mention, the performances. THE PERFORMANCES. Did I mention how amazing the performances were? I was starstruck. Inspiring.
Completely blew me away. I had such a great time. These guys did an AWESOME job.
Sometimes I wish I took advantage of things like KIDSTAGE or the 5th Avenue Theatre’s Rising Star Project when I was in high school. But I suppose everybody creates their own path. I do attend productions like these whenever I can, and I get inspired each and every time I do.
Go out there and support your local student-run productions!!! Whether it be stuff like KIDSTAGE or RSP or even school productions. Go see them.
REVIEW: A Gentleman’s Guide To Love and Murder @ The 5th Avenue Theatre
I can honestly say that I have never laughed so hard during a musical. Ever.
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder is a show that follows Monty Navarro (Kevin Massey), who discovers that he is a heir in a line of successors of the D’Ysquith family. In order for him to get the family fortune and impress his love interest Sibella (Kristen Beth Williams), Monty decides that it would be quicker to kill off the eight relatives (all played by John Rapson) that proceed him. Hilarity ensues.
Witty, fun, and hilarious all at the same time, this show delivers.
My girlfriend and I have been wanting to see this show for the longest time. Ever since I saw that AMAZING Tony Award performance back in 2014, I was determined to see it. We were both bummed to hear of its closing on Broadway, but were ecstatic to hear of the first national tour coming to Seattle!
We walked into the theater and there it was: a stage on a stage. With the red curtain backdrop behind it.
Let’s get right to it.
It was exactly as I expected it to be: non stop fun. The physical comedy and timing were all perfect. And don’t even get me started on the performances.
Kevin Massey was brilliant as Monty Navarro. It’d be so unfair to compare him to Bryce Pinkham (the original Broadway Monty, whom I’ve only seen/heard on the Tony performance and on the original Broadway cast recording ), because Mr. Massey totally made it his own. Sinister, charming, funny, and vocal chords that could make a lady swoon, Mr. Massey carried the show brilliantly.
John Rapson. Let’s talk about him for a good hot second, because that man was so incredible. Playing ALL EIGHT of the D’Ysquith siblings, he had to go through quick changes faster than you could say “pigs can fly.” You’d blink and then he was already in a totally different costume as a totally different character. Obviously an exaggeration, but you get the point. Mr. Rapson also carried the show with impeccable calmness and grace, keeping his eye and mind on the characters he played.
The two leading ladies Kristen Beth Williams and Adrienne Eller (Sibella and Phoebe, respectively) were also just as incredible. It was very easy to hate the character of Sibella at the beginning, and yet Ms. Williams added a bit of a charming factor to the character that it made it a little difficult to choose who to root for when time came for Monty’s dilemma of choosing between the two ladies. Ms. Eller sounded almost exactly like Lauren Worsham (original Broadway Phoebe), and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But again, it’s unfair to compare the two, and Ms. Eller played a fantastic Phoebe. I instantly loved her character.
I. Love. This. Music. It’s so witty, and some of the choreography that accompanied it was absolutely brilliant. The audience favorite “I’ve Decided To Marry You” was just as amazing as it was on the Tonys.
This show was all about timing, and it did a damn good job at utilizing it.
If this show makes a stop in your town, you need to book tickets and go see it. STAT.
Does anybody even read these? Haha. No matter. It’s not like a lot of people are following this blog anyways ;P
Thank you so much to those who are, however! I really appreciate your presence here, and that you take even a slight interest in what I say here!
There’s a lot to be said now. I haven’t been maintaining this blog as much as I would like to, but that’s gonna change real soon. I’ll be posting not one, but TWO reviews tonight. I’m seeing a matinee today and am in the process of writing a review of a show that I saw last weekend.
Lots of exciting things happening around the corner, which I’ll go into detail in a later post. For now, just be ready for some reviews!
Three years ago, at the start of my college career, I was prepared to go into the tech world as a STEM major. I was switching between majors from electrical engineering and computer science. Acting and performing was my ultimate goal, but financial security was important to me. I was doing relatively well in my classes, but you could say that I wasn’t too thrilled about my pathway despite .
But then I got a wake up call.
My high school’s drama club desperately needed somebody to fill the role of Emmett Forrest for their production of Legally Blonde: The Musical and they called me asking me to do it. I almost said no because I would have been the only alumnus in the cast. I luckily still had friends in the club, so I agreed.
There was nowhere to go but up from there.
I was reminded of how much I loved theatre, and how much I wanted to pursue it. I was inspired even more when I attended the 5th Avenue Awards that year and seeing the amazing high school productions that performed.
I knew I HAD to continue pursuing this. And I did.
I transferred to the main UW campus and, after a series of unforeseen circumstances, completely changed plans and majored in musical theatre. From there, I would be enriched with theatre and challenged with theatre classes. I’ve worked harder than I’ve ever had to keep creating.
And then I made my professional debut.
I think about this quite often. It’s almost as if it was meant to be.
Everything happens for a reason, and the future is closer than you think.
It’s my first day off from the show, and boy do I have a lot to talk about...
We’ve gone through our first week of shows already and it’s starting to take shape rather nicely! Come tomorrow, we will have received some new changes to the script. Really excited to see how it all flows.
It’s been a surreal few weeks. Tech was long, stressful, and tiring. But also exciting. I couldn’t believe that I was sitting in the theater, casually, watching scenes that I’m not in.
To make a VERY long story short, the process of these last few weeks have been absolutely magical. Even now, I’m finding new things about my character. We officially open on Thursday.
Here’s a sneak peek at our read/sing through rehearsals during our first week!
It’s so humbling and absolutely surreal that I get to make my professional debut with this cast and team. I’ve admired every single one of these people, and now I get to work with them.
Today I was retaught the importance of conveying a message through song.
I always emphasized the sound that comes out of my mouth rather than my intentions and objectives when I sing a song. It’s hard to marry the two, and I still have work to do.
Another difficult thing for me is embodying this character; his traits and his culture. Because of his ethnic background, I’ve been restricted in a way. Not as much freedom as I had during the developmental lab, but that’s not a bad thing by any means. It’s a great challenge, one that will take a bit to get used to for this show.
I have LOTS of homework tonight. Gotta get back to the basics now; what do I want, what’s in my way, and how do I get what I want? And to be as truthful to the text and this character as possible.
Guang-Li, his relationship with his brother and others, and his story arc are all starting to take shape rather nicely.
Had some more dialect coaching this week, and once again, it proved to be even more insightful in shaping Guang-Li’s character. I’m absolutely LOVING collaborating and discussing this show with Jon (book writer) and Steven (my “brother”).
I can keep saying this all day: it’s all coming together very nicely. New works are a huge risk to undertake, especially in this case; revising an old musical. I’m feeling incredibly fortunate to be a part of this project as my professional debut.
Today we started piecing together the entirety of act I. Lots of holes to fill, but we’ll get there.
Note to self: don’t be afraid of mistakes and make bold choices. I keep holding back. That’s gotta stop.
What a week it has been. I’m writing this post on day two of the second week of rehearsals. I’m exhausted, tired, happy, and excited all at the same time.
Yesterday marked my Benaroya Hall debut as the cast sang selections from the show for Spotlight Night, but not before an insightful presentation on the gold rush as well as the composers of the original show. It was quite a surreal experience, and to be in the company of this cast sharing laughs made it even more so.
How did I end up here? I’ve admired these people and looked up to them for as long as I could remember.
We’re now really putting the show on its feet, and already we’re getting quite a few changes.
Today we’ve completely revamped one of the songs; the lyrics and the overall structure has changed. Two other songs have added a section for the male ensemble to sing in. And we’ve been really digging deep into the choreography these past few days as well.
Our choreographers are absolutely amazing. Not only is their choreography amazing, but they are so into the story-telling of it all. The way it reflects our characters is just perfect. They care about the material and not just on the flashiness and the production value. It’s been so enriching.
This show is getting deeper and deeper as we go along. It’s absolutely incredible. I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of something new, and to originate a role so early in my “career.” It’s been a bucket list item of mine, and I now get to do just that.
These past couple of days have been the most enriching. This new script is moving towards the right direction, and I’m SO EXCITED to bring it to life.
Yesterday we had a section of time blocked off for dialect coaching. While we did get through a lot of the play to work on the Chinese dialect, the conversation shifted to the topic of the relationship between my character and his brother. It provided quite a bit of insight as to the amount of homework I should do to be truthful in telling this story and portraying this character. It was also so satisfying to start delving into character work a little bit as well.
Today, we had our first read/sing through of the entire show. Finally got a better idea of how the show will flow from beginning to end. Overall, I’m loving the direction that this script is going. Going through the whole show left me on a whole new high.
And I also held an actual Tony Award today. That also happened.
It’s Star Wars Day, and I couldn’t think of a better way than to spend it than at rehearsals. Especially after today... My excitement grows with each passing moment in the rehearsal room.
Today was just dedicated to reviewing music in addition to learning new material. Lots of changes have been made today, and the score is sounding more and more beautiful each time we’ve been running it.
Me and a couple of other cast members were also pulled to the side during lunch break to be interviewed for the International Examiner. Exciting!!! I’m so terrible at interviews... I never know what to say and how to say things...
The day ended with a presentation on the set design by our set designer, and oh. My. God. I’m so excited. The renderings look absolutely gorgeous and to hear him talk about what the set is made of, how they’re being flown in, etc., got me more and more excited about the show.
Looking forward to being up on our feet soon. Times are exciting...
Today I had my first rehearsal for Paint Your Wagon.
The moments before were filled with much excitement and also nervousness. But it was so exciting to see this cast once again. I’m still in a bit of a shock that I get to work with these people; people that I’ve looked up to and have admired over the years. I’m incredibly thankful to have this opportunity.
Listened to a little bit of John Mayer’s Born and Raised album on the bus ride to the theater to get that sort of Western vibe going. Nowhere NEAR the 1840s California Gold Rush aesthetic, but I thought it was a nice way to start :P
The day started with an hour of conditioning, to get the dance vocabulary of the show back in our bodies and also to prevent injury. I reaaaaaaalllllly should hit the gym or just exercise more often when I can.
The rest of the day was spent learning music. I was incredibly surprised by how much I actually remember, despite not having touched it since the developmental lab last summer. Of course, lots of changes have been made, but the general idea was still there. We’ve gotten through quite a bit of the larger ensemble numbers; today moved very quickly and efficiently. It’s quite thrilling how short the rehearsal period is compared to school productions; we start performances in four weeks.
I just have to say, I freaking LOVE this Lerner & Loewe score. It’s such a shame that the original musical hasn’t been done a lot, because this score is so much fun to sing and also listen to. Epic and beautiful. It’s being drastically revamped to include elements of bluegrass and folk. I’m excited to see how it sounds at the sitzprobe.
Tomorrow we’re working on more music, and then our set designer is giving a brief presentation on the sets. Some renderings were posted on a wall in the rehearsal space and they look AMAZING!!! I can’t wait to see how the real thing is going to look.
I’ve been waiting for this day ever since the developmental lab ended last summer. These past few weeks have been extra excruciating because I had absolutely no obligations to worry about, thus lots of free time was spent thinking about this show. I’ve just been DYING to get started and now here we are.
I’m so, so, so, so excited for these next two months.
A little less than two days until Paint Your Wagon rehearsals begin. I honestly couldn’t be more excited and terrified for a project.
Ever since Urinetown ended, I was prepping to get back into the Gold Rush zone. Listening to the original Paint Your Wagon soundtrack, rereading the dramaturgy materials that was distributed during the developmental lab this past summer, and watching some clips of the movie version with Clint Eastwood. But I was also met with lots and lots of free time, a lot of which was spent home on the internet. Although I was able to catch up with friends and family. It was very nice. But I have just been itching to get to work on this show.
I was emailed the newest draft of the script earlier this week, and it’s MUCH different than when we last worked on it. I’m super excited to see where it will go from here.
This weekend also had me finding lots of inspiration and enrichment to recover from the lack of theatre related activities.
Last night I was able to catch a showing of my high school’s production of The Little Mermaid.
I could go on all day to tell you just how much fun I had.
I missed the fall play this year, but I have yet to miss a spring musical. I always find myself walking in that auditorium filled with excitement and warmth in my heart. This was the place where it all began for me: my love for the theatre, and one of the driving factors that helped me become assured that acting was what I wanted to do.
I can’t even begin to tell you just how inspiring it is to watch the next generation of performers dominate that stage, and to watch the growth of some. Over the years, I’ve witnessed the growth of a few close friends and made new ones along the way, which then results in witnessing THEIR growth, etc., etc. And let me tell you, it has always been the greatest source of inspiration for me. To see how much FUN these guys were having, the camaraderie, the energy. It’s absolutely incredible. And, of course, it was so fantastic to see old friends and my old drama teacher and our “resident music director.”
The show was great, the performances amazing. It was a real treat, as it has always been.
This morning I’ve moved back up to Seattle for the two months that I’ll be rehearsing and performing in. Had lunch with great company, then headed back to unpack and relax.
My friend Season and I then started to finish a documentary that we have been trying to finish for a while now. It was called Now: In The Wings on a World Stage.
It was about a production of Shakespeare’s Richard III that starred Kevin Spacey and a mix of American and British actors, each that came from a different background, had different training. The production was directed by Sam Mendes, and toured 12 cities all around the world. It chronicled the artistic process of the show, as well as the personal experiences of everybody involved.
This was probably the most beautiful and enlightening documentary that I have ever seen. It wasn’t just a masterclass about theatre. It was also kind of a masterclass on life in general. It was also nice to have Season there to discuss it. One of the cities that the show made a stop in was Bejing, China. Season came from China, so he pointed out every landmark and explained the cultural rituals that were being illustrated in the documentary. It was an amazing experience. I highly recommend anybody who loves theatre to watch this documentary; it’s on Netflix!!!
And now I wait for the first day of rehearsals... and also hone my cooking skills to keep my food supply high for the week. Time to study this script and to be prepared for the unexpected.
Review: Sherlock Holmes and The American Problem @ Seattle Rep
Sherlock Holmes and The American Problem is a new play written by local actor and playwright R. Hamilton Wright based off of the characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is also a brand new Sherlock Holmes adventure that isn’t an adaptation of any of the original novels. It features the same cast and production team that worked on the production of Hound of the Baskervilles back in 2013.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are at it again with the deductions. The time is 1887, and London is having a ball as the Queen’s Jubilee takes place. Sherlock doesn’t believe in coincidences, but they keep stacking up.
I had fun watching this show. The overall production was fantastic and so were the performances. I unfortunately can’t say the same for the script.
The first act started off a bit slow, but as the mystery unfurls and escalates, so does the pace. It was also very confusing. When Sherlock explains everything in his speeches, I’m left very unsatisfied because I wasn’t able to follow the details in the story to pick it all up. Sherlock and his brother Mycroft engage in a slight battle of wits in the first act, and even though Sherlock explains what the game they were playing was, I still didn’t quite understand.
The performances by the cast were great, however. Darragh Kennan as Mr. Holmes himself had the right amount of douchebaggery and wit. Andrew McGinn’s performance as Dr. Watson was great too, however I wasn’t a fan of how he was written in this particular play. It seemed that Dr. Watson was a little bit less than bright than how I’m used to seeing him portrayed. But this was a script issue, and not so much Andrew McGinn’s performance.
The design elements were INCREDIBLE. The set detailing was amazing, and it used a lot of automated moving pillars, elevated platforms, and projections! The sound design was also amazing; it mostly composed of original compositions by designer Obadiah Eaves, and also ambient sounds.
While the script lacked some substance, The American Problem is a visually stunning and entertaining joy ride, served up with amazing performances. You will truly be immersed in this world and have lots of fun while you’re at it.
The 5th Avenue Theatre presents an exciting new 'revisal' of the sweeping saga Lerner & Loewe's PAINT YOUR WAGON. Featuring an all-new book by Pulitzer Prize nominee John Marans, this show has taken an incredible journey over the last five years from developmental workshops to The 5th Avenue stage this season. And BroadwayWorld is happy to report that the company has just announced the full cast and creative team.
Mom!!! I’m on BroadwayWorld!!! :D
It’s all starting to feel a little bit more real now. I absolutely cannot wait to be working on this show again and to be working with this INCREDIBLE cast.
It’s a little bit surreal that I’m making my professional debut at the 5th Ave. I’ve been coming to see shows there for YEARS, and now I get to perform on that stage with some of the people that I’ve looked up to over the years.
This is why Shakespeare is so cool; his plays are so universal that there are an infinite number of ways you can interpret it. I’ve grown to love his work over the years; I was turned off by the poetry and the vastness of it, as I’m sure many people are, but I found it to be enlightening and thrilling.
Hamlet is probably my favorite Shakespeare play, and a dream role too. I’ve seen many a production but this one really pushes all boundaries. I’ve never seen anything like it. I may have to see this one when it broadcasts live in theaters.
