by alun montgomery
The tag line in the promos reads: “Where Boys Become Men.”
Okay, so that may be laying it on a bit thick, but Northside impresario Darryl Reuben Hall’s labor of love shows he knows his audience.
This past weekend, the veteran actor, dancer, singer and director brought his latest work, Frat House, to the Florida Theater for a two-night engagement. Playing to a near-capacity crowd, the community theater company pitched its contemporary spin on the prodigal son tale that revealed such far-afield influences as A Different World, School Daze, Drum Line, and Stomp the Yard. The show was a celebration of faith and community—the players came to raise the roof and the audience came to help them do it.
The production was a checkered success, its weaknesses lying mostly with an unfocused script and an uncomfortable mix of comedy and drama. But whatever its shortcomings, you certainly can’t blame it on the performers. Though nearly half of them had never been onstage before, they played with a commitment and focus that would put many so-called professionals to shame.
The play opens with a spirited Sunday service, at which Pastor Waller offers as his sermon the lesson of The Prodigal—a fitting send-off for his son Thomas (Desmond Demps), who is headed to college at prestigious UHBC along with his best friend MC (Joshua Scarver). The pastor couldn’t be more proud; but he can’t help offering a fatherly admonition to stay on the straight and narrow—and avoid the fraternities at all cost.
Thomas resolves to honor his father’s advice, but the pull of the fraternities is strong, offering prestige, acceptance, and a great way to meet girls. So it isn’t long before the echoes of his father’s words and the strong influence of family, church, and community begin to fade away in the face of a flood of temptations.
The big brothers of Phi Phi Phi (which most audience members will immediately recognize as a thinly disguised Omega Psi Phi) are familiar forbidding fellows, and his fellow pledges are a colorful collection of broad (if somewhat cliched) archetypes. Together, the pledges struggle comically through the nightmare of hazing, doing their best to be accepted and meeting the challenge to come together as a unit.
Thomas, meanwhile, draws a different message from the challenge, looking instead to get in touch with his wild side. So it doesn’t take long for trouble to find him: he gets drunk, crashes his fancy sports car, starts failing his classes. And he alienates the people closest to him, girlfriend Kathy (Jessica Chatman) and best friend MC. Not only that, but his antics bring unwelcome attention to the Phi house, already under the scrutiny of a city council greedily eyeing the house for its real estate potential.
It takes an out-of-control party incident and the death of MC’s beloved grandmother for Thomas to hear his wake-up call. He pleads for forgiveness from his friends, family and brothers. All is tidily forgiven, and the community rallies to the fraternity’s defense just in time to spare them from the villainous councilmen out to do them in. The house is spared, and the frat is free to prepare for their national stepping competition—which seems to be what the play has been working towards.
And step they do. The competition features the local Ladies of O-A-K Step Team, and a team identified as Omega Psi Phi. Whether they were genuine Omega Men or not didn’t matter—the faithful were in attendance, as evidenced by the dog woofs in the house. And the final team competing was composed of the men of Phi, big brothers and pledges alike—impressively choreographed, energetic, and lots of fun. And the concluding gospel finale that followed brought down the house.
The play provided an opportunity to showcase some fairly impressive vocalizations, colorful, if broadly drawn characters, and most of all, stepping. True, the plot was paper thin, with some implausible twists and far-too easy resolutions that didn’t seem to cost anybody anything.
But little of that seems to matter to those in attendance: they were all there to see their friends, neighbors, classmates, and fellow parishioners engage in some energetic hijinx, and in that respect Hall & Company delivered.
The show could benefit from some judicious modulating: slow down or speed up some line deliveries, tone down the furniture chewing over here, space out the cluster of bodies over there. There’s no doubt about it: managing 37 mostly raw performers is a daunting proposition.
Still, the production represents an impressive achievement. It highlights and celebrates an entire culture of performance art that exists below the radar of the city’s “mainstream” theater, dance, and music communities. These performers learn their craft in community centers, churches, and schools that keep kids focused on positive life choices, inspiring them to provide leadership and inspiration themselves and to give back the love and support to the people who helped them along.
It may be a while before Frat House finds its way to Broadway. But everybody had a good time—artists, performers, and audience all came together to create an event. That works for me.
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EU Critic’s Choice Awards
