Thursday, September 13, 2018

BLACK! in West Hollywood




Intriguing and challenging. British actor, playwright and storyteller Michael Washington Brown impersonates four different men from around the world, each culturally identified as ‘black’ but who have very different ideas about what that means.  

There’s an ingenuous young American who loves Rap but not the hostile type; a studious Brit trying to decipher where he fits in to the ‘white’ culture; a mature man of the Islands full of pride and fatherly concern, and a philosophic South African sadly questioning the enmity between black Africans that causes atrocities. More than just character studies, Brown’s exploration of the word ‘black’ examines race from a global perspective. 

Says Brown, “There are so many stereotypes that seem to mesh all black people and their stories together. But not all of us are African-American, and we don’t all share the same experience. This show looks at race through a much wider lens.”


Technical design by Caitlin Rucker. At Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood. 
Tickets: (800) 838-3006 or blackonemanshow.brownpapertickets.com.


Also reviewed in the October issue of NOT BORN YESTERDAY.