by Sun Beirutta
KC Melting Pot Theatre will not stop producing the type of works other theatres won't touch and I'm here for it. Oh theatre, what are we going to do with you? We are fresh off the heels of a pandemic, there are devastating things happening all around us and historically nothing is a sign o' the times as much as a good drama. One that is gripping, that pulsates, that keeps you at the edge of your seat. And ideally, we should leave there with a heavy heart and questioning our existence. After all, its what drama does. Please note, I am not condemning this, I love these types of work more than most but can we also be willing to accept a comedy that has a single purpose - to make us laugh! (And maybe a hidden agenda as well) In Secrets and Lies, an adaptation of "The Imaginary Cuckold" by Moliere', we find ourselves behind the camera as a few white producers thought it a good idea to turn Moliere's fabled farce into a scripted reality show with . . . yep, a bunch of melodramatic Black folks. If you pay close attention you will pick up on the whip-smart commentary that is being done in this story. But if you want to just sit back and kick your feet up, there are plenty of laughs that don't require much thinking and I don't have a single problem with that. In this story, a beautiful young woman faints at the thought of being forced to marry the rich man her father prefers. While laying helpless she is assisted by a man whose wife observes and thinks he's in the middle of an affair. Her solution? To then initiate an affair of her own, with the man the young, fainted lady loves! Are you following? Well, if it sounds messy, its supposed to be. Its supposed to be as messy as the original one . . . and it succeeds. To enjoy this show, you can't long to make sense of it, you have to buckle up but lift your hands in the air like when you go down that first steep drop of a roller coaster and let go. Structurally, it does make sense, writer/director Nicole Hodges-Persley gets her story across, actors need a job and allow themselves to partake in this scripted reality tv version of The Imaginary Cuckold. If you watch it and think the actors are aloof or underperforming then you aren't watching closely enough. They are supposed to be. Sure, some will try and ding this play and say no, no, no . . . that's a cop out. But watch closer . . . I implore you do so. Could Hodges-Persley be making fun of all of us? Here we are 400 years later celebrating the work of Moliere' who's writing honestly has had zero impact on any of the Black cast being asked to perform this show. Is this an unfair assumption? Possibly. But please someone tell me I'm wrong. In the midst of everything going on in the world, representation has become a hot button topic and all that it has come to mean is using black people to perform white people's sh*$. So, how great was this adaptation supposed to be? How much is Moliere owed by the Black community and this black theatre? In this critics opinion, he's owed a ridiculous take on his show with some not so subtle jabs at the Hollywood/Broadway industry.
The show did run a bit too long and aggravatingly, the entire cast was on stage talking during the curtain speech and so I missed most of what was said as I kept tracking the actors. That was a bit heavy handed for my taste. There were a few characters that for the life of me I have no idea what their purpose served. Which implies one must be familiar with the original show to fully grasp this take. And while I think the cast did great all around, I was confused by the double casting of Donald Paul Jones as well as his accent(s) . . . that could have been for comedic purposes but I was confused nonetheless.
Don't make the mistake of thinking this is some deep, over-stylized comedic piece though. For my money, Daniel Andre' is worth the price of the ticket alone from the first time he saunters on stage and can't help but to stare down the camera. Brittany Evans falls about the stage and is every bit a beautiful Disney princess with an extra punch of diva. Amber Redmond delivers a hilarious confessional / monologue and it must be noted, she commands the stage with her jaw-dropping beauty AND attitude. Jessica Whitfield steals her scene once she decides to hit on the star played by Donald Paul Jones. And when she does this, I couldn't help from laughing. Know up front, its slap stick comedy, its silliness and absurdity. But it is FUNNY. And if you pay enough attention, while you laugh at the cast, they all may be poking fun at you right back . . . and for those who dismiss this and think the show couldn't have possibly been that introspective . . . well, perhaps you simply didn't discover the secret and haven't realized the lie. KC Melting Pot certainly has and they do not hesitate to march to the beat of their own drum. I dare you find another theatre with a lineup like theirs. Secrets and Lies runs through June 11, 2022 at Just Off Broadway Theatre in Kansas City, MO.
As a note, KC Melting Pot Theatre just released their 2022-2023 season and to further the aforementioned point, they stay ahead of the curve by giving oft overlooked voices a platform to shine. Kudos to their creative team.
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