Vibrancy Theater is now premiering its final show of the season, “Bootycandy,” and it is just as wild as the name suggests.
The show runs from April 10 through April 18, with shows on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Tickets are $5 for Ohio University students, but Arts for Ohio offers free tickets to students the day of each performance at the venue with a student ID while seating lasts. Tickets are also $7 for non-Ohio University students and elders and $10 for general admission. Performances are held in the Elizabeth Evans Baker Auditorium inside Kantner Hall at 19 S. College Street.
“Bootycandy” is real, uncensored, uninhibited and has a lot of ups and downs. Parts of the play are tough to watch as a viewer, but they are realistic because of that.
In a scene where up-and-coming playwrights discuss their intentions for creating art, they tell the audience a good piece of art should not be easy to swallow. Because a final product is hard work to make, it should be hard work to consume so it can linger and make the audience feel something.
By covering difficult topics, such as the simultaneous gay and Black experience, “Bootycandy” is at times tough to swallow. However, the viewer’s journey through love, friendship and family is even more worth it at the end.
“Bootycandy” mainly covers topics related to growing up and finding yourself, and the simultaneous guilt and pride that comes with it. The main character, Sutter, navigates home, gay bars and church as he comes to terms with the complex relationship he has with himself. In an immersive scene where the actors speak to him directly, they criticize him for his behavior and unveil his inner insecurity and guilt.
Despite all of the hardships that come with the lived gay experience, there are always people we can turn to. In Sutter’s case, his grandma and the memories he has of growing up, despite these not always being the best support systems. As a kid, Sutter’s parents blamed a man stalking him on him acting too feminine, yet despite that, it’s hard to dismiss the love one has for family.
Things such as worship, reading and a rack of ribs are often what is needed to survive being authentically oneself.
Lead actor Kezia Waters does a great job as Sutter, with fantastic performances that wowed the audience and left them in awe. Waters does a fantastic job showing a wide array of emotions and allowing the audience to join on the journey.
The play consists of only five actors, all of whom gave fantastic performances. Mei-Lan Holland does an incredible job as young Sutter’s mother and Laila Christian amuses as “Genetalia.” Sutter’s mom, Phil Hoelscher, wows as Sutter’s complicated past lover, Alan Tyson as a passionate preacher and Sutter’s grandma.
The play is monologue-heavy, with multiple scenes of just one character delivering a speech alone. The presentation of these monologues is nothing short of incredible.
In a scene involving a priest coming out to his church, Tyson delivers powerful vocals accompanying a moving message of acceptance. When Hoelscher gives his scene-long plea to a mugger asking not to be robbed, his words and message make it easy to be captivated.
The scenes involving multiple characters all flowed smoothly too. The dialogue was simultaneously witty, quick, humorous and poignant. The conversations felt natural and familiar, reminiscent of conversations with friends and family. A rapid-fire phone call between Holland and Christian had the audience laughing throughout the entire scene due to their fantastic pacing and delivery.
The humor of “Bootycandy” was top tier, as the audience laughed multiple times throughout the performance. The play did a good job of mixing humorous scenes in with serious ones, making it entertaining yet staggering. The raunchy and explicit style of humor was able to break expectations and eliminate any barriers between the audience.
“Bootycandy” was originally produced by Robert O’Hara, as a semi-autobiographical work depicting his intersecting experiences of being black and gay. Now, it’s been taken on by Vibrancy Theater to honor O’Hara’s original piece, according to the Dramaturgical Note by Tyler Adams.
“O’Hara employs biting and hilarious social satire to explore the interplay of pain and pleasure while taking a candid look at views on homosexuality within Black culture,” Adams wrote. “O’Hara describes his theater as one where ‘everyone is welcome, and no one is safe.’ And to that, we conclude: welcome.”
