Hot Wing King
Studio Theatre
Jordan Wright
July 6, 2022
Special to The Zebra
 Bjorn DuPaty, Brian Marable, and Blake Morris (Photo/Jati Lindsay) At the top of her game, Pulitzer prize-winner and Tony nominee, Katori Hall, has written a staged sit-com about five roommates entering the Hot Wing Festival contest in Memphis. All five men are African American gays living in the same house. And although their personalities are very different, their aim to win the $5,000 top prize with Cordell’s tried and tested Blueberry- and Bourbon-infused Cajun Alfredo Wings with Blue Cheese and Crumbled Bacon Wings keeps the men in collective disharmony.
 Derrick Sanders III, Michael Kevin Darnall, Bjorn DuPaty, Brian Marable, and Blake Morris (Photo: Jati Lindsay) The group, calling themselves “The New Wing Order”, gather in the kitchen the night before to prepare for the contest. Isom (Michael Kevin Darnall) is the reigning queen of the quintet alternately flinging barbs and hugging his roomies. As a New Orleans self-proclaimed Cajun expert, he is a bit of a lost soul who covers it up with his flagrant flightiness. To his erstwhile lover, a local barber they call Big Charles (Bjorn DuPaty), he sadly admits, “People only want me for one night.”
In the process of making 387 wings for the next day’s big contest, the drama ensues. Will Cordell (Brian Marable) defeat his inner demons? Will his faithful lover, the fashion-conscious Dwayne (Blake Morris) keep their relationship alive? Will TJ (JaBen Early), the streetwise dope dealer, lead his innocent son EJ (Derrick Sanders III) into a life of crime? EJ is Dwayne’s nephew and he’s got a stake in the decision to keep EJ out of trouble.
 Blake Morris and JaBen Early in (Photo/Jati Lindsay) Within this serio-silly comedy peppered with verbal jousting, there is an emotional backstory as the men alternately cast blame on one another for their failings, then manage to work together to resolve their differences.
Sprung out of a conversation Hall had with director Steve H. Broadnax III about her brother and his partner, living in Memphis, Broadnax told her, “That’s your next play!” For Hall it’s a love letter to the complexities of a gay, stitched-together family living in the heart of the American South.
 Perfecting their wing recipe: (l to r) Derrick Sanders III, Blake Morris, Brian Marable, Bjorn DuPaty, and Michael Kevin Darnall. (Photo: Jati Lindsay) Dramaturg Adrien-Alice Hansel; Costumes designed by Ivania Stack; Lighting designed by Alan C. Edwards; Props by Amy Kellett; Dialect Coach Caroline Stefanie Clay; and Intimacy Choreographer Raja Benz.
Through July 31st in the new Victor Shargai Theatre stage at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005. For tickets and information visit www.StudioTheatre.org or call the box office at 202 332-3300. Parking is tricky in this busy neighborhood. If you are coming after 5pm, park at the Washington Plaza Hotel a few blocks away and be sure to pay for your $13 discount voucher at the Box Office before leaving the theatre.
To Kill a Mockingbird
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Jordan Wright
June 28, 2022
Special to The Zebra
 (l to r) Justin Mark (“Jem Finch”), Richard Thomas (“Atticus Finch”), Melanie Moore (“Scout Finch”) and Steven Lee Johnson (“Dill Harris”). (Photo/Julieta Cervantes) In what is referred to in the program as a “New Play” by famed playwright Aaron Sorkin, Harper Lee’s celebrated novel To Kill a Mockingbird takes on fresh meaning in a world still struggling with racial injustice. Sorkin propels the narrative of a Black man unfairly accused to a relevancy we’d have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to recognize as still capturing today’s headlines. Set in 1930’s Alabama in a plot laden with weighty themes and laced with levity, Sorkin’s laser-focused version of the courtroom drama crackles with the raw power and profound honesty intended to galvanize an audience’s emotional response.
 Melanie Moore (“Scout Finch”) and Jacqueline Williams (“Calpurnia”) (Photo/Julieta Cervantes) In it, dramatic actor Richard Thomas plays Atticus Finch, a folksy Southern lawyer with the instincts of a coonhound treeing a possum. Thomas delivers a rock-solid portrayal so determinedly fresh and riveting it will make you forget you’d ever seen Gregory Peck in the 1962 movie version.
The great Bartlett Sher, who won a Tony Award in 2019 for “Best Direction of a Play” for the Broadway production, has found a way to stage this new production by leaning in on the threads of the story that matter most. Even on a stage as vast as the Opera House, he creates a space that reads like an intimate encounter. Brilliantly acted by a collaborative cast, Lee’s words fairly jump off the page with their universality.
 Melanie Moore (“Scout Finch”) and Richard Thomas (“Atticus Finch”). (Photo/Julieta Cervantes) When asked if she had plans to write another book, Lee cynically postulated to a reporter, “When you’ve hit the pinnacle, how would you feel about writing more?” Many years later, in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Lee declared, “Honey I already said everything I wanted to say.” And with weighty themes ranging from racism to alcoholism, justice, pedophilia and even murder too, the iconic Southern novelist had covered it all.
Notwithstanding Harper Lee’s reticence to discuss her work and her decision to abandon further writing, she had penned a forceful novel that burst off the pages with a trunk load of quotable lines tailor made to be spoken aloud. Sorkin’s treatment extracts the essence of her words to lend a new and exciting gravitas to this great American novel. Blessed with a tremendous cast to support Thomas, it stars Yaegel T. Welch (from the original Broadway cast) as Tom Robinson; Melanie Moore as Scout; Steven Lee Johnson as the tender-hearted Dill Harris (said to be fashioned after Lee’s friend Truman Capote); Justin Mark as Jem Finch, Scout’s brother; Jacqueline Williams as Calpurnia the formidable, no-nonsense housekeeper to the Finch family; Anthony Natale as Link Deas; Travis Johns as Mr. Cunningham and Boo Radley; and Richard Poe as Judge Taylor. Imbued with worldly wisdom, they are the heroes that battle the play’s villains played by Joey Collins as the antagonist Bob Ewell and his tragically victimized daughter Mayella Ewell played by Arianna Gayle Stucki. Take note of Mary Badham in the small yet pivotal role of Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose, the cranky octogenarian who harasses the children as they pass her porch. Badham won an Oscar for her role as Scout in the movie.
Highly recommended. A defining production of what has been called America’s Greatest Novel.
 Richard Thomas (“Atticus Finch”), Yaegel T. Welch (“Tom Robinson”) and The Company of To Kill a Mockingbird. (Photo/Julieta Cervantes) Additional cast members include David Christopher Wells as Sheriff Heck Tate; Luke Smith as Horace Gilmer; Greg Wood as Mr. Roscoe/Dr. Reynolds; Travis Johns as Mr. Cunningham/Boo Radley; and Liv Rooth as Dill’s Mother/Miss Stephanie.
Scenic Design by Miriam Buether; Costume Design by Ann Roth; Lighting Design by Jennifer Tipton; Sound Design by Scott Lehrer; Original Music by Adam Guettel.
Through July 10th at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20566. For tickets and information call 202 467-4600 0r visit www.Kennedy-Center.org
Nollywood Dreams
Round House Theatre
Jordan Wright
June 15, 2022
Special to The Zebra
 Yao Dogbe (Gbenga Ezie), Ernaisja Curry (Ayamma Okafor), Renea Brown (Dede Okafor), and Joel Ashur (Wale Owusu) (Photo/Margot Schulman) Fact: Fashioned after India’s Bollywood film industry, Nollywood is the second most productive film industry in the world with over 1,000 movies produced a year.
It’s hard to stress the huge influence of movies over daily life in Nigeria. Watched by millions, they feature formulaic melodramas reminiscent of the early days of Hollywood cinema. A fascination with Nigerian movie stars forms the basis of Nollywood Dreams, a romantic comedy about this gargantuan industry and its stars. Award-winning Ghanaian Playwright Jocelyn Bioh is currently writing the live screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Once on This Island for Disney. She is eager to school us in African culture and she does it with a pencil-sharp wit. “I’m a comedic writer and I think comedy’s simply a funny way of being serious, and I’m able to get across messages that do have a lot of universality to them, even if the people are very specific.”
 Yao Dogbe (Gbenga Ezie), Ernaisja Curry (Ayamma Okafor), Renea Brown (Dede Okafor), and Joel Ashur (Wale Owusu) (Photo/Margot-Schulman) Sisters Dede (Renea S. Brown) and Ayamma (Ernaisja Curry) run their family’s Okafor travel agency in the capitol of Lagos. One day Ayamma hears of an open casting call for the female lead in an upcoming movie by famed Director Gbenga Ezie (Yao Dogbe) starring their girl crush, the handsome Nigerian screen star Wale Owusu (Joel Ashur).
Ayamma, with no prior acting experience yet determined to make her mark, reads for the part with Wale as the love interest. Although Wale finds her adorable and Gbenga sees her as his first choice, the glamorous movie star and Gbenga’s favorite leading actress Fayola (Yetunde Felix-Ukwu) intends to wage battle for the part – even if it takes blackmail or magical powers.
 04 – Joel Ashur (Wale Owusu) and Jacqueline Youm (Adenikeh) (Photo/Margot Schulman) Scenic Designer, Jonathan Dahm Robertson treats us to three sets on a cleverly constructed revolving stage. One for the travel agency, another for Gbenga’s Nollywood Dreams Studios and the third, a television interview set for Adenikah (Jacqueline Youm), Nigeria’s version of Oprah Winfrey. Throughout the story, Adenikah is seen hosting the celebs wearing ever higher dhukus (head-wraps) and resplendent asoebis (dresses) to reflect her star status. All costumes by designer Brandee Mathies are reflective of the African fashions of the day.
Director Raymond O. Caldwell heightens the humor and extracts terrific performances from the well-cast characters who speak in the lovely, lilting patois of Nigeria and display a singular talent for the kind of physical comedy we know from Charlie Chaplin and Lucille Ball.
A super fun, audience participation comedy with a happy ending. What’s not to like?
With Sound Design by Nick Hernandez; Projection Design by Kelly Colburn; and Vocal/Dialect Coach Dawn-Elin Fraser.
Through July 3rd at Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814. For tickets and information call the box office at 240 644-1100 or visit www.RoundHouseTheatre.org.
Prelude to a Kiss
The Little Theatre of Alexandria
Jordan Wright
Special to the Alexandria Times
June 7, 2022
 Brianna Goode (Rita), Smithchai Chutchainon (Peter) (Photo/Matthew Randall) A nifty little romantic fantasy this way cometh from The Little Theatre of Alexandria. Prelude to a Kiss is the perfect antidote needed to brush away the quarantine blues. For those who remember the film starring Alec Baldwin and Meg Ryan, this will be a fun and lively reprise. The rom-com with a message penned by playwright/actor Craig Lewis tells the story of a young couple who meet and fall in love in a split second. Rita (Brianna Goode) is a bartender at The Tin Market. Her politics drift towards Socialism. Sorta. She’s an incurable insomniac and lifelong cynic. Peter (Smithchai Chutchainon) on the other hand is conservative yet freewheeling. Will it work out? Think James Carville and Mary Matalin.
 Jon Radulovic (Dr Boyle), Liz Leboo (Mrs Boyle), Smithchai Chutchainon (Peter) (Photo/Matthew Randall) Enter Rita’s parents Dr. Boyle (Jon Radulovic) and his wife Marion (Christine Tankersley). Well-off and living in the tony suburbs of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, they welcome Peter into their lives and after a steamy, whirlwind courtship (the production has an Intimacy Choreographer) the young couple wed. At the wedding a stranger appears, an elderly man (Cliff Rieger) who kisses the bride and wishes her well. But the stranger’s kiss takes Rita’s innocent soul and transfers his to her. I flashed back to the Disney film Freaky Friday that employs a similar conceit wherein the mother switches bodies and teenage, angsty experiences with her daughter.
 Smithchai Chutchainon (Peter), Brianna Goode (Rita), Amber Kelly-Hevard (waiter) (Photo/Matthew Randall) On their Jamaican honeymoon, Peter quickly notices that his wife has become both feisty and fearless and resolves to get to the bottom of her peculiar transformation. “It’s as if she had switched channels,” he observes. The “new” Rita tries to convince Peter that she is the same person and when they return from Jamaica, she reads the real Rita’s old journals to mimic her behavior and attempt to regain Peter’s love. How Peter bravely tries to restore Rita to her true self demonstrates the power of love.
There are some excellent performances most especially by Radulovic who has a history of performing in some of DC’s leading theaters and shows his pro acting chops here; Rieger who delivers an impassioned soliloquy on Life and Death in Act II; Liz Leboo who came in at the last minute to replace Tankersley and whom I hope we’ll see a lot more of; the shirtlessly sexy and wonderfully intense Chutchainon who shines when he breaks the fourth wall in search of the truth; and Goode who proves to be the perfect sultry and vulnerable complement to Peter.
 Smithchai Chutchainon (Peter), Brianna Goode (Rita) (Photo/Matthew Randall) With Casey Knisley as Taylor; Joey Pierce as Tom; Brendan Chaney as Uncle Fred; Deja Elliott as Aunt Dorothy; Amber Kelly-Herard as Waiter; and Kelly Trott as Leah.
Produced by Carol Strachan and Alan Wray; Directed by Maggie Mumford; Set Design by Peter Mumford; Lighting Design by JK Lighting Design; Sound Design by David Correia; Costume Design by Mary Wallace; and Intimacy Choreographer, Ruben Vellekoop.
Through June 25th at The Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. For tickets and information call the box office at 703 683-0496 or visit www.TheLittleTheatre.com. Strict COVID protocols are in place for all performances. Check the website for details.
A Monster Calls
The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Jordan Wright
May 31, 2022
Special to The Zebra
 Photo/Manuel Harlan Don’t be confused by the title of this play and the fact that the author, Patrick Ness, a multi-award-winning writer of children and adult literature whose work went into Spiderman and Star Wars, also created and wrote the 8-part series Doctor Who. A Monster Calls is a superbly crafted, deeply emotional thriller about a British teenager whose nightmares and dreamscapes threaten to overwhelm him. It is a story of love and loss of pain and growth, perfect for teens and adults alike.
While his mother (Bridgette Amofah) endures endless cancer treatments, Conor (Anthony Aje) stumbles through life as if in a daze. It doesn’t help that his remarried father (Tom Lorcan) lives thousands of miles away in America. Wracked with the fear of losing her and the guilt of dwelling on her demise, Conor struggles to both process and express his feelings. He marks his days assuaging his pain by allowing the school bullies to beat him up, turning his back on the only friend who wants to protect him. His nights are filled with dread as the Monster (Keith Gilmore) appears to him in his sleep guiding and filling him with stories of impossible feats and ultimate heroism. “I come to heal you,” the Monster proclaims through stories of dragons, princesses and ancient lore that fill Conor’s fitful dreams.
 Photo/Manuel Harlan Gripping from the get-go, it is at once frightening, powerful and utterly engaging. You do not want to miss a split second. I had to remind myself to breathe. The stirring plot toggles between tender scenes of mother and son and the intensity of wildly colorful video dream projections; explosive sound, smoke and strobe effects; and eerie (at times Gregorian, at others like Sting) electronika music. This is edge-of-your-seat stuff. I absolutely loved it.
Metaphors abound with the use of massive ropes which dangle from the rafters and substitute for objects and emotions. Cast members use them to encircle their bodies, slide down them and raise themselves up to the top through creatively choreographed movements. The rest of the cast sits on either side of the stage handing off a bowl of cereal, a quart of milk, a school uniform and other mundane objects.
 Photo/Manuel Harlan Most impressive are the young actor Anthony Aje whose agility and ability to morph from poignant to terrified is amazingly cool, Greg Bernstein as Conor’s brutal enemy Harry whose anger-fueled rants keep Conor meek, and Keith Gilmore as the Monster whose physical athleticism and ferocity are galvanic.
This all-British production is highly recommended.
 Photo/Manuel Harlan With Greg Bernstein as Harry; Eleanor Kane as Lily; Sarah Quist as Ms. Godfrey; Lauran Rae as Sully; Anita Reynolds as Grandma; Paul Sockett as Mr. Marl; and Nathaniel Christian as Anton. All cast members except Conor double in the ensemble.
Based on the novel by Patrick Ness; Inspired by an idea by Siobhan Dowd; Adapted by Sally Cookson and Adam Peck; Set Design by Michael Vale; Director/Co-Adaptor Sally Cookson; Composer Benji Bowser; Lighting Designer Aideen Malone; Costume Designer Katie Sykes; Video Designer Dick Straker; Aerial Director Matt Costain; Sound Designer Mike Beer; Puppetry Laura Cubitt; Originating Producer Old Vic and British Old Vic.
Through June 12th at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20566. For tickets and information call 202 467-4600 or visit www.Kennedy-Center.org.
Our Town
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Jordan Wright
May 28, 2022
Special to The Zebra
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a production of Thornton Wilder’s American classic, Our Town. Chances are it was a high school production. Maybe you could say the same. I’ll even venture to guess either you’ve been in this play or seen someone you know perform it. Written in 1938 and set at the turn of the 20th C in a small town in New Hampshire, Wilder draws on his New England roots to embrace the ordinariness of diurnal family life in Grover’s Corners. The zeitgeist captures the essence of the American family unit reminiscent of the homogenized 1950’s – think Norman Rockwell. Kids go to school, the milkman delivers, newspapers arrive by a boy on his bike and the whole family eats dinner together every night. To present this drama, Director Alan Paul employs a local and very diverse cast, a departure from casting big name, out-of-town actors. Lately, there’s been a demand for theaters to use locals in the cast and crew, and some directors have risen to the challenge. As Paul said on opening night, “Making theater now is kind of like a radical act.” And, I’d suggest, a gamble.
Local actors Holly Twyford, Natascia Diaz, Felicia Curry, Jake Loewenthal, Lawrence Redmund, Craig Wallace, Sarah C. Marshall and Erin Posner are a known commodity to those of us who have seen them in a variety of roles at many local theaters. Collectively, they can boast numerous Helen Hayes Awards and their performances and characters are as finely tuned here as in any of their previous work. That said, I’m not at all sure audiences are ready to embrace an old chestnut like Our Town which leans heavily toward White nostalgia for suburban life in the early Edwardian era. Is this what post-COVID audiences are looking for from dramatic productions? It seems to me audiences are looking to explore more complex themes, chuckle over satire and/or tap into the struggles of different cultures with eyes wide open. We expect to be immersed in something deeper in a play. What is universal in Our Town is the message of hopes denied and dreams deferred, but it’s quite a stretch to take it from small-town, White America and expect it to apply to all other cultures.
Scenic Designer Wilson Chin presents us with a Quaker-simple, pared down set in the round and dots it with wooden chairs and tables to laser-focus on the text and the families and townsfolk interactions. As stripped down as it is, I still yearned to see the moon to drop down from the rafters during Emily and George’s teen love scene. It’s appeared in every production I’ve ever seen, and I missed its dramatic metaphor for the wider world we live in and the tender emotions of young love in bloom.
Only in the third act of this lengthy drama, when ghosts of her past haunt Emily during her voyage between death and the afterlife, do we glimpse the crux of the play. They advise her not to review her life nor attempt to make contact with any of the others – living or dead. They advise Emily to just give up – to cede to the inevitable. It is at this point that Paul dispenses with the miming of props and surprises us with a rising glass box featuring Mrs. Webb preparing pancakes and surrounded by props to wow us.
If you love these actors, as I do, you will want to see this production. But, then again, you’ve probably seen it a hundred times.
With Holly Twyford as Stage Manager; Eric Hissom as Dr. Gibbs; Hudson Koonce as Joe Crowell/Si Crowell; Christopher Michael Richardson as Howie Newsome; Chinna Palmer as Emily Webb; Natascia Diaz as Mrs. Gibbs; Felicia Curry as Mrs. Webb; Jake Loewenthal as George Gibbs; Maisie Ann Posner as Rebecca Gibbs; Josh Decker as Sam Craig; Tommy Nelson as Wally Webb; Kimberly Schraf as Professor Willard; Craig Wallace as Mr. Webb; Lawrence Redmond as Simon Stimson; Sarah C. Marshall as Mrs. Soames; Elliot Dash as Constable Warren; Suzanne Richard as Joe Stoddard; Quinn M. Johnson, Ensemble; Summer Wei, Ensemble.
Costume Designer, Sarafina Bush; Sound Designer, Lighting Designer, Phillip Rosenberg; John Gromada; Composer, Michael John LaChiusa; Music Director, Jay Crowder.
Through June 11th at Shakespeare Theatre Company at Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004. For tickets and information call the box office at 202 547-1122 or visit www.ShakespeareTheatre.org.
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