Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – BLACK LIGHT & THE BROBOT JOHNSON EXPERIENCE: Two solo musicals that excavate the past (and then some) to seek the truth

• By drediman
• February 28, 2018
• No Comments

Daniel Alexander Jones’ in “Black Light” at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater.

I recently attended a performance of Daniel Alexander Jones’s Black Light (RECOMMENDED) at the Public Theater. In this soulful, beguilingly fluttery solo musical, Mr. Jones takes on the persona of the regal Jomama Jones, who, from the void, appears to her adoring fans at Joe’s Pub. She brings with her not only her personal history, but also a cosmic, penetrating perspective on the African American experience. You see, the nurturing yet sensuous Jomama, it appears, is tapped into a deeper truth that escapes us mere mortals. She transmutes an authoritative vibe that, although of another plain, strikes a mysterious cord of authenticity. As you can imagine, experiencing Black Light is more akin to ritual than watching a proper musical with a beginning, middle, and end. Speaking of music, Ms. Jones winningly provides commentary through a nicely interspersed set of original songs, many of which call to mind iconic black musical influences of the past and present. As a performer, Daniel Alexander Jones is the consummate entertainer. Every moment is meticulously crafted to precisely create the mood intended.

Darian Dauchan in “The Brobot Johnson Experience” at the Bushwick Starr.

I also got a chance to catch Darian Dauchan’s third installment of The Brobot Johnson Experience (RECOMMENDED), a self-proclaimed “sci-fi-hip-hop-transmedia” piece, at the Bushwick Starr (the production is a collaboration with All for One Theater). Like Black Light, Mr. Dauchan seeks to attain truth and some sort of liberation from the past – also in the form of a one-act solo musical – through a journey of goodwill and reclamation. In the The Brobot Experience, Mr. Dauchan plays an android from the future who descends upon present-day Brooklyn not only to spread his robotic tribe’s message of love and peace and hip hop, but also to excavate his remote, mythic past.  Even if what’s uncovered doesn’t amount to much more than a lot of retro fun, the show elicits a vision of a joyously inclusive, post-race world vis a vis our current grim reality. As the adorable android from the future, Mr. Dauchan oozes charisma and presence, even when the at-times elementary material doesn’t quite rise to his performance’s level.

BLACK LIGHT
Off-Broadway, Musical
The Public Theater
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through March 25

THE BROBOT JOHNSON EXPERIENCE
Off-Broadway, Musical
The Bushwick Starr, in collaboration with All for One Theater
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through March 17