“Booty Candy”

NOT RECOMMENDED  It is the start of the Windy City Playhouse’ 2017 season. I must say that up until now, I have been quite impressed with the choices they have made, the comfort of the theater and the powerful way they treat their audience members. They are a perfect neighbor to surrounding businesses and well loved by their regular audiences. Tonight, I attended the Chicago premiere of a play written and directed by  Robert O’Hara, entitled “Booty Candy”. The press release made this sound like something that would be filled with satirical comedy that would be frank, funny and unpredictable. Knowing the quality that Amy and her staff have sought out from day one, I expected this to be a show that ,despite its title, would be up to their standards. I was wrong!

Five minutes into the play, I wanted to research just why O’Hara even sat down to pen this series of scenes that made no sense and would bring out the ire of the Gay community, the Black community, and the theater community. An all Chicago cast of five: Travis Turner, Krystel McNeil, Debrah Neal, Robert Fenton and Osiris Khepera worked hard to bring the audience into a script that started off slow and went nowhere! Yes, there were a few funny spots, but anyone who knows my reaction to comedy, probably thought I was NOT in the theater. This show was not funny! Yes there were some of the typical obligatory laughs from cast members friends and relatives, but FYI, some 15 minutes into the show, a couple “down front” left the theater (quickly), and I doubt that they received an emergency “booty” call!

I found this show to be a waste of some fine talent, trying to their best ability to make the writings of O’Hara almost seem credible. If the author of this two hours of insanity, did indeed base the story on his own life and history, I pity his youth and feel sorry for his family. This is supposed to be a “coming of age” piece about what it is like to be black and gay and how he must learn the meaning of love, life, sex, and race. How can he learn who he is? This piece certainly does not answer these questions. In fact, the scenes only serve to be more confusing as we see a church preacher “come out” during a service, two men in a bar (both Black) pick  up a white man, go back to his hotel and have sex with him (there is some frontal nudity during this scene) and hurt him. Is this a true part of O’Hara’s life? If so, he should have sought some guidance from his relatives.

I could mention some of the other scenes, but, to be honest they are not really worth detailing. Things like a scene where two Lesbians confirm their separation (with a minister), a family enjoying their dinner (happy meals) as their son tells them he was followed home by a stranger from the library, a scene where two women (playing two parts each) have phone conversations  and a scene that ends the first act where the actors come on stage as if they were at a conference/seminar and kind of explain what we just saw in the act- WHAT THE H—?

“Booty Candy” (which I will not explain here) will continue at Windy City Playhouse thru April 15th ( maybe doing your tax returns should come first, as it will be less painful) with performance as follows:

Thursdays  7:30 p.m.

Fridays  8 p.m.

Saturdays  8 p.m. ( 2 p.m. matinees added on 2/11 and 4/15)

Sundays  3 p.m.

Running time, just under two hours ( 90 minutes would be better)

Tickets range from $15-$55 and can be purchased by calling 773-891-8985 or online at www.windycityplayhouse/bootycandy/

The theater is located at 3014 West Irving Park Road, in Chicago. Plenty of free parking in the neighborhood. The theater itself is comfortable, inviting and an enjoyable experience. This, as I said earlier, is the first play that has let me down, so I forgive them. We all make mistakes!

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Boot Candy”