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the break/s: a mixtape for stage – ACT Theatre
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By Arielle Gervasi
“All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.”
Seeing “the break/s: a mixtape for stage,” a one-man, one-act play, written and performed by award-winning poet and dancer Marc Bamuthi Joseph, brought to mind this timeless quote by William Shakespeare. Joseph uses the experience of African-American culture as it traveled through and evolved (and continues to evolve) through American culture; the conflicts that arise in society and within oneself.
The play consists of a story-less monologue in which stories and experiences are presented, sometimes completely ridiculously, like a recount of a supposed dream in which he encounters Prince and learns the “secret” behind the Mona Lisa’s smile. Other accounts are very symbolic, poignant, and full of meaning, as his account of a young boy addicted to drugs. He switches from poetic, elevated language and movements to colloquial prose and modern speech that resembles stand-up comedy. The effect this has on the audience is remarkable in its ability to jolt and displace, as I believe is its intended effect. At different times, as the clichéd, archetypal show will promise yet rarely deliver, it will make you laugh and make you want to cry. The effect is very powerful and pays tribute to the show’s themes of conflict and the bi-polar nature of people as they attempt to play different roles throughout their lives.
Two other men are behind Joseph throughout the entirety of the show: appropriately, a man at a switchboard and another at a drum set who also provides beat-boxing at different points in the show. Another addition to the show that was perfectly executed to add emotion and depth was three TV screens that would flash images ranging from tribal African dances to a pair of linked hands: one black and one white. Previously recorded video interviews would be played periodically as well in which a variety of people from different ethnicities and age groups answered questions like “What is hip-hop?” and “Have you ever lost your mind on-stage [while performing]?”
This exquisite performance manages to capture the essence of one long poem and display it in an unforgettable experience of hip-hop, prose, comedy, interpretive dance, and music. It is like being inside a poem-- inside the mind of a poet even. At first, you try to interpret and make sense and put together a story, but slowly you realize the beauty of it is only understood when you simply let yourself go, listen, and allow yourself to be swept away.
Through the play, he seemingly attempts to provide a portrait of an African-American performer, himself, as he encounters the complexities of life such as racism, love, youth, art, and tries to sift through them and make sense of it all through the lens of his own identity and, with more difficultly, through the lens of his basic identity as a human being. At one point, he muses, “Maybe I can choose love over identity.” As he attempts to answer some of these personal questions at the core of this show, it stirs something within all of us and speaks to everyone with its universal messages.
The beauty of this style of presentation? You don’t have to be a “poetry snob” to get it! Joseph’s messages are so clear and simple, yet beautifully stylized, that you find yourself nodding your head and saying “Mmmm” (as did many of the audience members). It’s edgy yet accessible and you walk away feeling like you were really transported to another level of thinking and feeling, as opposed to some types of poetry where you end up scratching your head and feeling like you must have missed something. You even are allowed to realize the meaning of the show’s title as Joseph tells us prophetically that we, as people, have many cycles to break: “There is more than one way to love; there is more than one way to raise a child; there is more than one answer…” Joseph truly lives up to his reputation in “the break/s: a mixtape for stage.”
“the break/s” runs through July 12, 2009. For tickets and information contact ACT Theatre at (206) 292-7676 or visit www.acttheatre.org
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