Moon Man Walk @ Jubilee Theatre
—Chris Sanders
Moon Man Walk at Jubilee Theatre may be one of the most surreal shows that I have seen post-pandemic. The core of the story is that of an American Family Drama. The motifs and devices used to tell said story feature some of my favorite (and least favorite) parts of theatrical surrealism. The play follows Spencer (Rickie Jones) and his life with his mother Esther (Tharmella Nyahoza). The telling of their joint story involves many flashbacks, musical interludes, breaking of the fourth wall, wonderfully timed and scene-specific projections, and a manic pixie dream girl named Petrushka (Mikaela Baker). Many of the flashbacks and waking dreams involve a version of Spencer’s absent father Kesi (Kyle Gardner), who shows up in the mind’s eye as the Astronaut.
In terms of performance, Mikaela Baker did very well with the role she was given. She was charming, funny, and oftentimes almost omnipotent, noticing patterns in Spencer’s past that he seemed to have missed. My issue with the character is that I was unclear as to what Petrushka’s all-seeing purpose was, other than for Spencer’s character to not be alone during his time of loss. (He’s planning his mother’s funeral.) There is a moment at the end of the play that makes one wonder if Petrushka was for him what his father, Kesi, was for his mother, Esther. There is a flip side to that moment which begs the question: How much of her is real and how much of her is dreamed up in his mind?
Rickie Jones had the difficult task of playing Spencer, who states towards the top of the play that he has low emotional intelligence. The character shows that he’s not the best at taking social queues, sometimes taking things too literally. And yet, he still brings us through the emotional ebbs and flows of Spencer’s life, on a deeply felt journey of joy, grief, loss, and newfound love. There are times when you may ask “You talk to your momma that way?” And others where you just want to reach out and hug the dear child.
Tharmella Nyahoza and Kyle Gardner are compelling as Esther and the Astronaut respectively, but they also take on several other characters. Nyahoza goes from a Nurse to a Flight Attendant and back to Esther, sometimes in mere moments. Gardner plays a Funeral Guy and Flower Guy. While their side characters did not have names, these actors brought so much personality to them. And their main characters, Esther and Kesi, were even more dynamic in comparison to these smaller roles. The strong chemistry they had with each other and Jones was delightful.
Holli Price designed the projections, and goodness were they a sight to behold. There were times when it seemed as though the characters were drawing pictures in front of them, while the drawn images were projected (in real time) on the wall behind them. The sights were often stunning. Nikki DeShea Smith designed the lights, which helped to amplify the projections with their presence or absence, and guided the audience on where to focus next. A decent feat, considering the size of the space and the lack of a follow spot.
Ryan Simón’s sound design helped establish location and mood, sometimes grounding us in reality, other times taking us to the stars. Kudos to the stage management team of Hailey Green and Taliyah Salih for executing well-timed cues that added to the visual and audio aspects of the storytelling. Mya Cockrell’s scenic design (assisted by scenic painter Jennye James) was simple but imaginative, and gave clarity to our locations. There was one set reveal that delighted me to no end, and I suggest seeing the production to witness the moment of theater magic yourselves.
I want to know where Jasmine Woods found the costumes for the show, particularly Petrushka’s shoes and jacket and Esther’s “meet cute” outfit. The costumes won’t fit me, but I’d love to see if any of them came in my size. My personal styling aside, Woods dressed each character in clothes that helped in establishing who they were to the audience, before they even said a word.
Jubilee producer Charles Jackson Jr took on the task of directing this piece by lJames (Jackson’s directing debut with the company). lJames’ riff on Hamlet (Fat Ham) was a recent hit in Philadephia and New York. Together with the cast and production team, Jackson told a visually stunning story that was heartwarming, heartbreaking, and relatable. One of my favorite aspects about lJames’ surrealist play, created and told by Black people, is that there is nothing truly written in the dialogue that says they must be Black.
The story of Spencer is similar to that of real-life actor Sean Astin, son of Patty Duke. He grew up not knowing who his biological father was. His mother gave him several versions of the story of who it might be, and even when a paternity test revealed the man Ms. Duke stuck to her version of her son’s begetting. I mention this to say that broken homes and absent parents are not just an issue for Black people, in the same way that the “Great American Family Drama” is not exclusive to European bodies. Our issues are universal, and it’s a pleasure to see representation of these universal truths on stage.
WHEN: Through February 26
WHERE: Jubilee Theatre, 506 Main Street, Fort Worth
WEB: jubileetheatre.org
