The Politics of Art & Authenticity

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From the first punchline I knew what I was in store for. Every aspect, every story line, every punchline, every character was as predictable as can possibly be. Not that the play wasn’t entertaining, some of the jokes were a little outdated (Bruce Lee action figure), but I also just knew what jokes were gonna be made. It was like watching a Tyler Perry movie live, “Madea Gets A Gay Nephew.” The only unpredictable aspect of this play was the scene changes. The way the scenery came from changing the coffins was very innovative and creative, I wasn’t expecting to see a car come out of a casket. The quick scene-changes from a giant map of the eastern seaboard to the room in Disney World were seamless and well thought out. The actors played the four main characters well and did have a very distinct portrayal of each character. Unfortunately I knew the entire character within two seconds of meeting them, there was no real character development, once you knew them, you knew what they were gonna say, what they were gonna do, and the jokes they were gonna make. Of course the main characters had an epiphany about how their loves should continue after the death of their most important family member, it would have been real if they both hated each other and walked away from the situation. I understand it’s supposed to be an upbeat and happy play, that’s why it’s called Wild With Happy, but there is such a thing as too happy.

When I think of Happiness, I normally imagine a touching moment of realisation when you feel your heart warming up and making this smile you cannot resist. Maybe it’s just my reserved personality but placing the word “WILD” with happy, at first, only made me think of all these different people going WILD, whether portrayed by animal-like behavior or yelling, screaming, and shouting. Without any clue, I started watching the show.

In the beginning of the show, just like I imagined, people went WILD. The church scene with people dancing and yelling, I couldn’t understand much but was somehow offended. I knew that it wasn’t the happiness the overall show was about, but being a Christian, I couldn’t quite figure out how to take it. I was pretty much befuddled and could not concentrate. Maybe it was the way the protagonist narrated the scene,with his strong vocal style, shouting out every word and then. To be honest, it took me a while to fully indulge into the play.

As it moved on to the scene in the casket shop, I finally found my pace and started enjoying the play. I believe everyone may have realized this but, I HAVE to reiterate that the use of caskets were immensely clever and truly amazing. It was not only efficient but they were so intricately designed to help the flow of the play: from the past to the future, state to state, indoors to outdoors, and inside a car to a closet! Speaking of closet, I cannot leave out a comment  on the acting. Of course, all of the actors did such a wonderful job, but whom I remember the most was the only female of the play, splendidly switching over two significantly different personalities,  the magnificent Sharon Washington. (now i just made her sound like a magician but oh well, she was pretty MAGICAL) I don’t know whether it was because of her fit body or just me sitting in the back with blurry vision, at first, she seemed just too young to play the mother. But I was wrong. Her motherly innocence portrayed in her voice when playing Adelaide, and the comical yet strikingly realistic portrayal of the aunt were good enough to put my unnecessary worries away in no time. I loved the way the aunt was able to put on everything in Adelaide’s closet, the glass cup, and her rant about the Internet. It was really interesting how she seemed to hate new technology yet was able to utilize the tracking system to follow Gil and his boyfriend all the way up to Orlando, Florida. It was fascinating to see the play incorporate some of the major issues nowadays into the dialogues and characters and still make it entertaining and not disruptive to the overall plot or message.

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But what’s best of all, for me, was the scene at the Cinderella Suite and the moment when all the characters each realized something special in their hearts. Personally, seeing Adelaide still maintaining the youthful innocence and believing in Disney made me think of myself and my mom. No matter how much I’ve grown up, no matter how much I’ve heard about the notoriousness of Disney it still is part of my childhood and just the thought of a day in disney world with my family makes me smile and dream. The scene also reminded me of my mom and her frustrated dream of continuing Piano in college due to unexpected finger joint injuries for it seemed to draw a resemblance to Adelaide dreaming of going to Disney World. By the time, my mom was about to have a big surgery so it saddened me as I saw Gil making his mother happy by fulfilling her dream while at the moment I could do anything for my mom but pray.

At the end of the show, my mind was boggling with ideas and realizations that I felt my heart grow warm, tear drop a little and SMILE without any restriction of my mind or my facial muscles. I was WILD with Happy.

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wild |wīld|

adjective

1 (of an animal or plant) living or growing in the natural environment; not domesticated or cultivated.

2 uncontrolled or unrestrained, esp. in pursuit of pleasure: 

Wild With Happy was an enigmatic but energetic performance in which vibrant characters, scenes, and the complex plot line were beautifully exhibited mainly using one set. With minimal characters, minimal props, and very few set changes, using the same large props for more that one purpose is practical; the multi-purpose caskets were amazing. Not only did the transforming “furniture” add humor to the play but it added creativity and innovation. At first, the caskets were just in the background. I had thought that they were only there to re-inforce the fact that the mother was, in fact, deceased and the scenes with her in it were either supposed to be in the past or supposed to be within the protagonist’s imagination.

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As the play unfolded, however, the a casket was unfolded into an armoir. One unfolded into a bench. Another unfolded into a car. Each change in form was so unexpected, much like the play itself. The caskets were a brilliant addition to an already mind-blowing performance. They were honestly my favorite part.

I do apologize for not attending the Sunday I was suppose to see Wild With Happy, but I did take the time out this weekend to watch it with my friend. Of course, he was not happy that I was dragging him out on a Saturday night to watch an off-broadway play, but I told him that if he did I’ll buy him food (bribery always works). After the show, his reaction was priceless. I loved it and I was so happy I went to see this, and he just couldn’t stop talking about how amazing it is. He basically told me I had to go see another off-broadway play with him.

Anyways, this play was my favorite out of all the things we have done in this class. It was so creative. I thought House/Divided was creative, but this beats it. The fact that they were using coffins as a prop. The coffins would change into a park bench, a car, and a closet was unexpected. Plus, I never thought you can use coffins in an other form other than for funerals. I don’t look at coffins as something to use as an example of simple things such as a park bench, so I thought that was truly interesting how the coffins were being used.

The actors in the play were just amazing because I felt like they were trying to connect to the audience. The emotions they put behind their lines were as if they were speaking to me, and only me. I felt so connected to the actors through the whole play. I cannot stress how much I loved Aunt Glo. To be honest, I feel like I connect with Aunt Glo. The fact that she was so loud and obnoxious. At work, I’m known to be loud and obnoxious, just by the way I laugh and to see Aunt Glo with her loud and obnoxious personality, just reminded me of being at work and laughing uncontrollably loud through the aisles. Although her personality matches mine, we definitely do not have the same fashion sense. I’m sorry but that cheetah print suit has got to go.

The ending just blew me away. I grew up around Disney and I cannot stress how much I love Disney. Anything with Disney World will win my heart, so this play won my heart. Disney World is amazing and that is the best ending I could ever ask for.

I am sorry that I got to the play late. Thankfully, they still let me into the play. However, I had to wait until the next scene to enter. At least, I got a seat close to the stage. It was a great seat except for the fact that there was this lady’s big hair in my way and I constantly kept on moving around to see the stage.

The play was very humorous and entertaining. At first I didn’t understand what was going on, but I knew that the main character was experiencing a death in the family. I actually got confused in the second scene because the same actress played different people. I didn’t realize that she was a different character until the name of the character was said.

I did enjoy the over-the-top acting by Aunt Glo. I thought the valor cheetah print suit with the fanny pack perfectly fit her persona. She is loud and obnoxious, just like her outfit. Every single character acted as though they wanted the audience to be part of the scene and stressed each word and emotion. We get to see the actors in a more up-close and intimate level. The fast-paced conversations and witty banters made the play so much more enjoyable.

There multiple uses of different types of media from the acting to the projections for the background. The video of Gil’s mother as Cinderella was quite cute. The use of the map for the car chase along with the sounds of the car crash when Aunt Glo drove added more to the story. The transition into each scene was interesting. I would have never expected that the coffins were able to transform into a closet, a car seat and a park bench. Mo, Gil’s friend, opened the coffins in a sexy, hilarious way. It was as if he was trying to seduce the audience with his winks and sashaying while transitioning the scenes.

The playwright cleverly incorporated a serious issue of coping with death with Cinderella, as a symbol hope of dreams and happiness. In Cinderella’s room, Gil had a change of heart on how he viewed life. At the end of the play, I couldn’t help but awe at the fact that Gil got his shoe back from his Prince Charming, Terry. This has been one of my favorite plays that I have seen so far. I was glad to know that the play was going to continue on for another week because I would give others a chance to view this amazing play.

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About a week ago I went to see Wild With Happy, which was written by and starred Colman Domingo, and I left the show amazed.  The set design was one of the most creative sets I have ever seen in a show, with coffins turning into everything from park benches to car seats.  I commend the set designers for all their hard work and creativity they put into making those props.  It definitely added to the humor of the play, and helped illustrate the irony that was seen throughout the entire play.

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Wild With Happy was successful in making people happy that’s for sure.  I don’t think five minutes went by without someone laughing at a line one of the actors said, or an action that they performed.  They took a very sad scenario of a son mourning the death of his mother, and did everything to make it as happy and joyful as possible.  If there were tears, they were probably tears from laughing so hard that people began to cry.

For Domingo’s first play I would say he’s off to a good start.  There were some points that I would say needed improvement, just with the flow between scenes to make the entire play cohesive.  At times I was confused with what was a flashback and then what was actually going on.  Some of the scenes didn’t seem to have a constant flow, which sometimes made me wonder how much time passed between each scene.  I also think the opening scene should have been a little less chaotic just so I would’ve been able to understand that his mother died.  But at the same time, it is this craziness that makes Domingo an auteur in his play-writing skills and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a similar style in other shows.  Even though the ending was a little cheesy, with Disney World and all, it still had a great meaning and really brought the entire play together.  I wouldn’t say that Wild With Happy is my style of show, but I did enjoy it and left the theatre with a smile.

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In the the simplest words possible: I loved this play. It was funny, emotional and quite moving at times. The acting was brilliant and so was the set design. Everything about this performance was executed perfectly. Also, the small theatre made the performance personal and allowed you to connect with the actors because they were only twenty feet away. Unlike another performance we went to see….the opera…ahem….but I won’t mention that and spoil the good taste I have in my mouth after leaving this play.

Although everything about this play was amazing I think it was the set design that blew me away. It sounds strange to say it but whoever created those intricate coffins should be given an award. I was awed by the creativity of the furniture and the different ways it was used. In one scene the furniture was used as a coffin and in another scene it was used as a closet or as a car. This also gave the play flexibility to change from the past to the present as the main character had repeated flashbacks. I also enjoyed the fact that you were able to watch them transform the furniture since it brought me back to my childhood days of playing with transformer action figures. I mean, who doesn’t like a car that can turn into a giant extraterrestrial robot. Granted, the coffins didn’t turn into giant robots yet I still found them to be pretty cool.

Additionally, I LOVED the acting. I do not say that lightly as I literally could not stop laughing anytime Gil’s aunt Glo came on stage. I think I was laughing so hard that I started to wipe tears from my eyes after one of her usual rants that ended with “praise the lord” this or “praise the lord” that. And her performance only complimented that of the Colman Domingo who played Gil. A homosexual, African American man in his forties who recently lost his mother. He played the part of a cynical son going through denial with wit and charm that made his character come to life. Especially when he ran into the crowd and continued the performance offstage. The audience must have also agreed with my assessment of his acting because when the show was over he received a five minute standing ovation, which was fully deserved.

Overall this play was one of, if not the best play I have seen all year. The success of this play can be attributed to the performance by the actors, stage design, good script and even size of the theatre. Yet it was none of these factors alone. Rather it was all of these factors working together that turned this play into the spectacle that it was.

I’m usually not a person of many words. It’s not that I don’t like to talk, it’s simply because most of the time there is nothing really to talk about. Out of all the cultural events that we have attended because of this class, I think Wild With Happy has been the best so far.

In a way it has been the one I identify with the most.  It’s not the actual story, but the themes and situations within in.

I loved the location. The Public Theater was unlike some of the other theaters I have been to before. It was small, and the actors actually walked into the audience section of the theater. I got to say that the scenography was great. In the opening scene, the caskets at the funeral home transform into a park bench, a car, and into a closet. The use of the caskets in that way made it seem like it wasn’t as dark as one would expect s funeral home to be.

Colman Domingo wrote Wild With Happy, he is also the leading man.  The story is about a gay black man who’s in a way going through some sort of mid-life crisis.  While going through it, he neglected his mother, who in the end, we learn had Lupus, which was her cause of death.

Gil [Domingo] is an actor who holds a degree in English from Yale. Yes, it stuck. Just couldn’t help the fact that it was mentioned every five seconds.  Yet, with degree and all, he can’t find a decent job that takes him from living paycheck to paycheck to a somewhat comfortable life.  When he receives the call that his mother is dead, he heads down to Philly, hoping to take care of everything as quickly and cheaply as possible. He chooses not to follow ‘black’ tradition and instead cremates his mother. The play continues with Aunt Glo, Gil’s aunt, giving him a hard time because he chose not to follow tradition. And instead we see Gil running away to NYC and ending up in Orlando at the Disney Park because of his best friend Mo.

The last scene reveals a lot about Gil, but I think, that in revealing so much about a gay black man we learn a lot about ourselves. Sometimes we don’t follow tradition, and it’s okay to break from it. Trying something radical is good once in a while.

Overall, the plot of the play was maybe something that not everyone will identify with, but it definitely represents a real situation. It shows a lot of human emotion, which made it enjoyable, at least for me.

Okay, yes! Theatre! Finally! (Sorry House / Divided, but you were a little lax on the whole “acting” for my tastes.) I knew nothing about Wild With Happy, and I felt compelled to actively avoid any spoilers or summaries, because when you’ve got a title like that, you’re expecting something unique and surprising. I was right. Really, really right.

The show actually won me over before it even started, because any show that uses the famous Judy Garland/Barbra Streisand duet of “Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again” as its musical overture is bound to be steeped in perfection. As Gil (Colman Domingo) stepped out in front of the curtain to deliver a fast-paced, snarky, sarcasm-laden introduction, two things hit me: One, if the rest of the show is as witty and hilarious as this monologue is, I don’t think I’m going to survive. And Two, okay maybe he needs to slow down a little because I’m laughing three jokes back.

I loved everything about the production. The plot was minimal enough to the extent where I didn’t feel bogged down trying to remember little details about why the mom’s in the urn or why Gil’s so upset with…everything. The ending in particular is notable, because it somehow takes the cheesiest, most cliche conclusion ever, but it makes it work perfectly! Sure, it’s groan-worthy, but it didn’t cheapen the experience at all. Honestly, if the show had ended with anything less that fireworks, the full-circle of a aforementioned phrase now understood, and a Cinderella allusion… all while taking place in the Cinderella Suite in Disney World, the show wouldn’t of been half as good. The cheesy worked.

I’m fairly certain all my inner-monologues sound just like this scene.

The phenomenal double-casting of Adelaide/Aunt Glo (Sharon Washington) was one of the most genius decisions made by this production, and Ms. Washington deserves every accolade and rave review known to the theatre – and maybe a month off for vocal rest after all that screaming. Fingers crossed she lands a one-woman show on Broadway someday, I’d go every night.

The set design deserves special mention for finding a way to take a small stage and four coffins and convincingly create a church, apartment, funeral parlor, a park, two cars, and Disney World. Somehow it worked, and somehow the fact that a coffin was lifted up into an armoire filled with dresses fits in perfectly with the show’s theme.

Wild With Happy has easily been one of the best off-Broadway productions I’ve ever seen.

Photo Credit

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I’ve been putting off responding to Wild With Happy partially because I have so much work and partially because I have no idea how I felt about it. There were so many moments during the production that I saw everyone around me laughing hysterically and I just wasn’t amused. I understood the jokes but I just didn’t find them funny. Towards the end I was able to chuckle a little, but for the majority of the production I just wasn’t entertained.

The ending explaining the connection between the title and story was corny but almost cute. I wasn’t sure why Gil was so displeased with his mother and her fantasies. It’s probably because I can relate a little bit to her and I’m impulsive regarding all the things that make me happy. I also love Disney World and Cinderella’s castle so… I was glad to see Gil accept his mother for the first time even though it was too late for her to see this change in her son’s opinions.

The plot line was definitely interesting. The crazy aunt was hilarious. Her angry rants and hand motions were absolutely hysterical. The stage props and setup were beautiful as well. Especially the last scene recreating Cinderella’s castle… I could see all the time and hard work that went into making that happen. Even earlier on, the multiple uses for the coffins were impressive. They were regular coffins at some point, then transformed into closets, benches, and were they used as cars as well?? Regardless, whoever was in charge of making that all happen deserves an incredible amount of recognition. The time, effort, and creativity put into all the props almost made up for my distaste of the production itself.

It’s safe to say Wild With Happy wasn’t my favorite of the productions we’ve attended, but I’ve learned that I can always find something positive in these things even if I didn’t find them amusing. My reaction to the production probably also has something to do with my lack of sleep and cranky edge. At the time, I was naturally inclined to hate everything and everyone I encountered so maybe my judgment was slightly clouded.