A Musical Promised is a Drama Delivered

Matt Sax in "Clay"

Emerging playwright Matt Sax: writer, composer, and one man star of the hip-hop stage performance “Clay,” breaks all the limits with “Clay” ‘s energized compilation of rap music and the coming of age story of a distressed boy running from the troubles at home. From crude humor to foul language, Sax is relentless with his portrayal of the amazing total of five different characters.

“‘Clay’ – The Hip-Hop Musical” is what the show was advertised as; I would change ‘musical’ to ‘drama’ instead. His father doesn’t love him; his mother commits suicide; his stepmother becomes the first woman he makes out with – Clifford has it rough growing up, which is why he turns to Sir John, the local master of hip-hop, for guidance. Each of the characters mentioned is played by Sax with intricate articulation – the father is identified with a snide voice, the mother with an imaginary cigarette, Sir John is the formidable instructor. Between constant voice changes, hand motion habits, and facial expressions, Sax manages to throw in an original rap score and some fancy footwork, not to mention a load of beat boxing. For those unfamiliar with the term, beat boxing is a technique that recreates sounds like record breaking to static using a wide array of mouth motions – not an easy feat to master. The audience gave him a grand ovation as soon as his finishing act came to a close.

“Clay” is not only meant to entertain. Sax tried to show how hip-hop was not just about drugs and women. He makes a point of it during one of the scenes between Clifford and Sir John. Sir John ridicules and reprimands Clifford for his initial attempt to describe what hip-hop meant, an attempt that consisted of nothing but cuss words and gender slurs. This additional backdrop provides “Clay” with something else to bring to the table besides acting, dancing, and rapping.