Dance Like There's Black People Watching, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Washington, DC



The cast of The Second City's Dance Like There's Black People Watching, (L to R) Breon Arzell, Julius Shanks II, Tameika Chavis, Max Thomas, Jillian Ebanks, and Arlieta Hall. Photo credit: Teresa Castracane.

Clearly, the Second City production of Dance Like There’s Black People Watching (hereafter referred to as Dance) is more of a “show” than a play. Perhaps the most appropriate way for me to describe it is as an experience, unlike any you probably have ever seen. Developed improvisationally by its cast and director Rob Wilson, it provides for an outrageously funny - but also pointedly political – evening of theatrical entertainment. Woolly Mammoth welcomes this production by the Chicago-based company in a very liberal political city just as a presidential election has been held.

First, let’s deal with that title. Intriguing, but somewhat misleading, though for one moment in the show, during improvisation with an audience member, a White person does, in fact, dance for the Black people watching. In recent years, the Second City produced something called Black Excellence Review. This could have been titled the same, perhaps with “II” or “2.0” after the title. Or even more descriptive, Black Experience Review.

Scenic and lighting designer Colin K. Bills provides what could be described as a “playground” in which six extremely talented actors deliver sometimes very short vignettes or solo lines on a set that reminded me of “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In.” (I realize I am giving my age away as a Baby Boomer, but that’s what went through my mind.) Multiple doors and windows open and close on several levels, providing a fast-moving barrage of commentary. A more recent (though still somewhat-dated) example would be the television series “In Living Color.”

Pondering the production, I kept coming up with adjecrivces beginning with the letter “P.” Here are a few:

  • Profound: We are reminded (as we are told in the very beginning) that Black people are a diverse group: “We are not a monolith.” That being said, we are shown aspects of the Black experience, some relying on or poking fun at Black stereotypes. A wide variety of characters in a variety of settings teach us about things we might not know or expect.
  • Political and possibly Polarizing: The company takes no prisoners in its unabashedly left-wing attitudes. Some will find the material uncomfortable – which is, no doubt, one of the desired outcomes. Dance draws on current pop culture (at one point, we see part of a game of “Family Feud”) and lampooning some tropes, including church choir (two women angling for the solo engage in a “solo off” so that the choir director can decide between them), attitudes about mental health therapy, and parent/child relationships.
  • Powerful: I don’t think it would be possible for any audience member to not be affected by the contents. The goal is a sharing of experiences.
  • Profane: Dance is definitely rated R for language and decidedly adult in content. The language is brutally frank and may be offensive to many; offensive words beginning with F and N abound. Forewarned is forearmed.
  • Positive: As difficult as some of the content may be to watch, the overall message is one of hope.   


(L to R) Jillian Ebanks, Breon Arzell, Max Thomas, Tameika Chavis, and Arlieta Hall in The Second City's Dance Like There's Black People Watching. Photo credit: Teresa Castracane.

It would be impossible to describe everything that occur as things move at an almost-breathtaking pace. The six performers are confident and creative, working together beautifully, each moving seamlessly from one character to another by altering or adding a costume piece, or changing a voice or an attitude. Under the direction of Rob Wilson, they use the stage as their “playground” and come together like a well-oiled machine. Each one brings something special to the table; all are equally praise-worthy: Breon Arzell (who also choreographs this dance-heavy show), Tameika Chavis, Jillian Ebanks, Arlieta Hall, Max Thomas (who functions as something of an emcee, guiding us into the show as it gets underway), and Justin Shanks II. Shanks, a 21-year-old Howard University senior, is the youngest of the company and the least experienced, but he more than holds his own and demonstrates great potential.

I must also credit the contributions of Chelsey Carter-Sanders as wardrobe stylist, who has chosen evocative clothing and accessories for each character, and sound designer Tony Belsito, whose musical interludes punctuate the performance.

While much of the contents and many of the scenes may have been created in an improvisational context (improv has always been one of the hallmarks of Second City), probably 90% appears to be fully scripted at this point. The show itself includes nominal improvisation. At one point in the show, three of the cast members invite a non-African American to engage in a partially-prepared improvisation, which exposes him to elements of the Black experience. The centerpiece of the scene is the re-enactment of a version of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, depicting ghosts of Black experience past, present, and future. The gentleman chosen to participate on opening night (wearing a Notre Dame t-shirt and baseball cap) demonstrated good-natured affability as well as bravery.     

(L to R) Breon Arzell, Arlietta Hall, and Tameika Chavis in The Second City's Dance Like There's Black People Watching. Photo credit: Teresa Castracane.

Dance is, like virtually all of Woolly Mammoth productions, an extremely “in your face” cultural reflection and piece of social activism, especially relevant in a politically-charged time. Its wit and abundantly raucous humor provide something of an antidote to the despair many feel in this post-election period, a reminder that the fight for social justice continues. 

 


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