When I wasn’t reporting or performing last year, I contributed to Critical Minded’s latest report “Topdogs and Underdogs: Critics of Color and the Theatrical Landscape” as a researcher. The report, which outlines the common struggles and experiences theater critics of color face in the field, is now available for download! Check it out here: https://criticalminded.org/reports/ 

I’m also hosting a podcast in conjunction with the report, so keep an eye out for the first episode.

Reflecting: Repetition on Stage

Lincoln (Brandon Michael Hall) struts down the staircase dressed as Abraham Lincoln. He sits in the chair and waits. Bang. He falls to the ground. Not good enough. He does it again… and again… and again. Each iteration has a different approach — a different texture and tone. He never really finds what he’s looking for, but he got close. 

Suzan Lori-Parks’ “Topdog / Underdog” leans into the power of repetition. Pasadena Playhouse’s production frames the two brothers inside their home, sparring with words inside their shared apartment. Lincoln is an Abraham Lincoln impersonator who pretends to die at Ford’s Theatre daily and Booth (Brandon Gill) is a homebody who urges his brother to return to the hustle of three-card monte (and teach him his masterful ways). However, his request has a price to pay. 

“Watch me close,” they say as they swatch cards over a cardboard table. This is the phrase that starts the play and tightens up the tension with each repetition. Having read the play before, the repetition of phrases sticks out on stage. Whether it be a simple, “Go on” or “Amarzing Grace,” the duo deliver the lines like a tennis match. As stories of their past unfold, the repeated words hold a new weight. Grace, as mentioned in “Amazing Grace,” alters from an object of affection to one of betrayal and regret as we witness Booth’s toxic romantic habits take shape. Meanwhile, Lincoln’s quick retorts transition from playful to torn. 

When the words have been repeated too much and their impact has met its limit, we return to the pretend death. After plenty of attempts to fall as the former president once did, Lincoln does it one final time. This time it is quick and unexpected. It’s perfect. It’s real. 

Something similar happens in John Anthony Loffredo’s “Frou-Frou: A Menagerie of Sorts” at Boston Court Pasadena. I attended a preview, so these repetitions were often unintentional. The play begins with a monologue and Harold (Patrick Reilly) performs a dance phrase. It’s a routine that is important to his character. “Frou-Frou” follows two siblings coming to terms with their gender and sexuality as their mother introduces a new man to the household to enforce traditional gender stereotypes. For Harold, dance is his outlet. The first time, it is routine. The second time, it is because of a technical difficulty. The approach is more precise and emotive when he repeats it. Reilly knows what to expect. 

On the surface, these dance moves are just dance moves. As we learn more about the character and his love for dance, every instance Harold grooves or rises to his toes feels more and more valuable. Then, he is requested to dance and be vulnerable in front of a man who is everything he is against… or so he thought. Paired with the context leading up to a tense moment in the bathroom, his dance routine is heartwrenching. Although the steps are amateur, his delivery gives the performance strength. It’s some of the best dancing I’ve seen on stage. 

Repetition can be frowned upon as a cop out or a lazy way of filling up time or space. However, when utilized intentionally, it can change the entire trajectory of a character or story. It’s everywhere. It’s in the architecture around us, nature, our anatomy. Even as I write this with “How to Get Away With Murder” playing in the background, I hear Viola Davis as Annalise Keating repeat in devastating pleas to her husband, “I need you. I need you. I need you.” They get softer and softer. It’s no longer a plea. It’s a confession. 

Through these instances, I realized repetition isn’t as devastating as it sounds. We’re not just starting from the beginning, losing what we’ve already built from the first time. We gain experience from each repeated line or movement so that the next one takes us one step closer to what is happening underneath the act. 

This Week’s Top Spots

RUBBERBAND @ BroadStage

LA-native Victor Quijada will bring his signature dynamic choreography to Santa Monica with his company RUBBERBAND. Quijada is known for merging breaking, classical ballet and contemporary dance to create a style that feels elastic and challenges the positionality and extensions of the body. For their show at the BroadStage, the company will present “Second Chances,” a work inspired by Quijada’s experience in L.A. as a first-generation Mexican American. He reflects on identity and homeland with a score sampling Mexican norteño music. 

LOCATION: 1310 11th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401
DATES: March 8 - 9
TIME: 7:30 pm Sat. & 2 pm Sun. 
PRICE: $40 - $85 
LINK: https://broadstage.org/tickets-shows/calendar/rubberband/ 

‘The Los Angeles Confidential’ & ‘Dancing in the Dark’ @ Good Mother Gallery & ArtCenter

Devin Troy Strother’s latest installation takes his artistic practice of dissecting Black cultural production and pop iconography into the immersive sphere. “The Los Angeles Confidential” centers on an architectural sculpture newsstand that operates as a mobile hub of archival information, from printed materials to film recordings. In the gallery space, it feels like an oasis of information that transports viewers into cultural history. The installation runs at Good Mother Gallery in West Adams until March 14, then travels to ArtCenter on March 22 as part of “Dancing in the Dark.” 

LOCATION: 5103 W Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90016 & ArtCenter Hillside and South Campuses
DATES: February 19 - March 14 (Good Mother Gallery) March 22 - June 21 (ArtCenter) 
PRICE: Free 
LINK: https://goodmothergallery.com/exhibitions/58-devin-troy-strother-the-los-angeles-confidential-los-angeles/overview/ & https://www.artcenter.edu/connect/events/devin-troy-strother-dancing-in-the-dark.html

An Evening with Lillia White @ Catalina Jazz Club 

Tony Award-winning actress and singer Lillias White will perform some of her favorite tunes at LA’s staple Catalina Jazz Club. Songs on the docket include music from Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Big Maybelle and Cy Coleman. Her career is expansive, from Broadway production like “The Life” and “Fela!” to an animated role in Disney’s “Hercules.” This night at Catalina is a recipe for great laughs, heartwarming memories and beautiful music. 

LOCATION: 6725 W Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028
DATE: March 11
TIME: 8:30 pm 
PRICE: $30 - $75 
LINK: https://catalinajazzclub.com/tm-event/an-evening-with-lillias-white-tony-award-winning-star-of-broadway-film-2/ 

‘Master Class’ @ Sierra Madre Playhouse

Terrence McNally’s 1995 play centers on a fictional master class by opera singer Maria Callas. The show gives you a front row seat to Callas’ life by portraying the sharp and humorous interactions with students. Here, the audience is part of her Juilliard class. In her pursuit to shape the next best opera singer, you get insight into her artistry and wisdom harnessed throughout her life-long career. Directed by Tim Dang, Sierra Madre Playhouse’s production brings a fresh take to a classic play. 

LOCATION: 87 W Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024
DATES: February 14 - March 9 
PRICE: $12 - $45 
LINK: https://www.sierramadreplayhouse.org/event/masterclass2025 

‘44’ @ Kirk Douglas Theatre

The unofficial and unsanctioned Obama Musical is back — this time at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. “44” first premiered at the Bourbon Room in Hollywood in 2022. The warmhearted satire about the 44th president of the United States delivers American history with R&B tunes and an exaggerated representation of familiar politicians, including Mitch McConnell, Sarah Palin and Bill Clinton. 

LOCATION: 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232
DATES: February 23 - March 23 
TIME: 7:30 pm Wed. thru Sat., 1 pm Sun. 
PRICE: $125.35 
LINK: https://www.centertheatregroup.org/shows-tickets/douglas/2024-25/44/

Things: Women’s History Month on Film

For Women’s History Month, these SoCal events center women’s stories of the past, present and future. Get ready to laugh or shed a tear with these films screening throughout March. 

• ‘Tell Me About Your Mother’ @ LACE Screening Room: LACE presents an evening with artist and filmmaker Susan Mogul for the world premiere of her new film about matrilineal lineage. DATE: March 6 @ 7 pm / PRICE: Free / LINK: https://welcometolace.org/lace/video/lace-screening-room-tell-me-about-your-mother/ 

• Look What SHE Did! Short Film Festival @ The Nimoy: Look What SHE Did!, a non-profit organization that aims to inspire women storytellers, offers a mini festival of short films created by filmmakers celebrating the women who inspire them. DATE: March 16 @ 3 pm / PRICE: $38.08 / LINK: https://cap.ucla.edu/event/look-what-she-did 

• Alamo Draft House Screenings: Alamo Draft House leans into Women’s History Month by centering women-led movies in its ongoing film series Queer FIlm Theory 101 and The Essentials. PRICE: Varies / LINK: https://drafthouse.com/los-angeles 

Keep Reading

If you haven’t already, check out my latest stories here: 

• Review: Old Black & White Hollywood (Stage Raw) 

• Five Essential Books on Overlooked Black Artists and Designers (Art in America)

Meme of the Week