‘Thoughts of a Colored Man’: 7 men’s stories

‘THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN’: Da’Vinchi and Dyllón Burnside. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN
By Keenan Scott II
Directed by Steve H. Broadnax III
Golden Theatre
252 West 45th Street
212-239-6200, https://thoughtsofacoloredman.com/

By Scott Harrah

The stories of seven African-American Brooklyn men are interwoven into Keenan Scott II’s thought-provoking Thoughts of a Colored Man, a 90-minute drama that recently opened on Broadway.  The stories are all things we’ve heard before—from poverty to success to coping with societal expectations, biases, dead-end jobs, etc.—but they ring true to life and propel the stories with enough heartbreak to keep audiences both sympathetic and interested.

Each character is named after an emotion.  We have Love (Dyllón Burnside), Happiness (Bryan Terrell Clark), Wisdom (Esau Pritchett), Lust (Da ’Vinchi), Passion (Luke James), Depression (Forrest McClendon) and Anger (Tristan Mack Wilde).

The entire show is presented as a series of vignettes and some work better than others.  Standouts include the first-rate Forrest McClendon as Depression, a man in his 30s who still lives with his mother and works at a Whole Foods for minimum wage.  Mr. McClendon gives a sincere, touching  performance as a man who puts his family’s needs above his own and even tries to buy his younger brother a pair of $200 sneakers.  Some might remember Mr. McClendon and his Tony-nominated role a decade ago in The Scottsboro Boys.

Bryan Terrell Clark is truly dynamic as Happiness, a well-educated gay man who, unlike the other guys in the show, is from an upper middle-class family and has enjoyed many privileges, but finds himself in the awkward position of being looked down on by other black men because they think he’s had it too easy.  The reality is being a gay man of color is a double whammy.  He’s struggled as much as the other men, just in a different way.

Esau Pritchett gives one of the show’s most straightforward performances as Wisdom, an older barber shop owner who has lived through decades of African-American struggles.  He doesn’t allow foul language in his shop, and reprimands one of the younger customers for using the “f” word gay slur in front of Happiness because he wants everyone to feel welcome in his establishment.  Mr. Pritchett is a wise father figure to all the guys who come into his shop, and we know he’s lived through too much grief and speaks from experience. He has learned that tolerance and understanding go a long way in a rough neighborhood and wants everyone to realize this.

The stories of some of the other men are less compelling, such as that of Anger (Tristan Mack Wilds), a college basketball coach who works with athletes that are more into getting big endorsement deals than anything else.

The action all takes place on a minimalist set, mostly using Sven Ortel’s projection designs.

Steve H. Broadnax III extracts fine performances from the cast and keeps everything moving fluidly.  Of all the new fall 2021 Broadway plays depicting African-American experiences, Thoughts of a Colored Man so far is the best.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 17, 2021
Reviewed at October 16, 2021 press performance.

‘THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN’: (Left to right) Luke James, Esau Pritchett, Da’Vinchi, Forrest McClendon, Dyllón Burnside, Tristan Mack Wilds, Bryan Terrell Clark. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN’: Da’Vinchi & Dyllón Burnside. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN’: (Left to right): Luke James, Esau Pritchett, Da’Vinchi, Forrest McClendon, Dyllón Burnside, Tristan Mack Wilds, Bryan Terrell Clark. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN’: Luke James. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.