Having seen a really awesome one man show, Coleman Domingo's Boy and His Soul, several times, I was admittedly up for seeing another virtuoso one man show and caught tonight's preview of the nationally acclaimed play, Through the Night .
Written and performed by Obie Award winning actor, Daniel Beaty, this highly ambitious play examines the life experience of six strikingly different but interconnected black males. Beaty tackles a range of experiences encountered by black males, including, addiction,incarceration, disease, fatherhood,
employment, relationships and sexuality.
An emotionally-charged and compelling play, Through the Night is unapologetic in its exploration of these men's inner lives. Using a combination of drama, humor, poetry, song, and movement, Beaty swiftly transitions from straight up homeboy, to innocent kid, to potbelly pastor, to gay son, to expectant father--and oh yes, to outraged single mother as well. (Beaty is extremely convincing in each of these roles).
This show is not for the inattentive or easily distracted viewer, Beaty switches characters with considerable velocity and you can get lost quickly. The voice changes with each character were so dramatic I mistakenly thought that someone else's voice was being piped in at times.
Beaty is a seasoned pro and that showed in his ablity to nail each scene perfectly--no jagged edges, so to speak. I wondered if Beaty's perfection personified aura could be a bit distracting. The question arises, "distracting" from what? The storyline? Himself? Neither answer makes sense since this is "one man show" (LoL).
How refreshing to see such an accomplished black male actor so fully expressed and so full of artistry. (I spoke with him very briefly after the show and he seemed like a really cool and gracious guy). Beaty earned a 2007 Obie for his Off-Broadway work in Emergence-SEE! at the Public Theater, and his play Resurrection was presented at Arena Stage during the 2008-2009
Again, as with Black Angel's Over Tuskegee (now playing at St. Luke's Theatre--see my review),far too many seats were empty at the Riverside Theatre for this showing.
The empty seat syndrome will most likley not affect this play thanks to the scheduled dialogues between Beaty and prominent guests after each performance. Bill Cosby will appear on May 7, opening night. and other celebrities set to appear include Ruby Dee, Hill Harper, Malik Yoba and Rev. Alfonso Wyatt, (author of Soul Be Free please see my review).
For tickets and information, call 212 870-6784 212 870-6784 or visit www.theriversidetheatre.org
Posted by The Black Arts and Entertainment Whisperer (tBAW)
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