Every Nigger Is A Star
nytheatre.com review by Ross Chappell
August 12, 2006
OK, so I'm a sucker for one-person shows. But that also means I see a lot of them, and Every Nigger Is a Star has more potential than most. The show is an autobiographical piece that explores Mario Burrell's personal journey through a series of encounters with people who affected his growth in one way or another. The show's title is a reference to an idea his father had that made me both laugh and nod my head in understanding. (I won't spoil the moment for you. You'll just have to see the show.) Burrell effectively balances comedy and pathos and manages to channel his father ("a groundbreaking publicist for Hollywood's Black elite"), his grandfather, a runaway male prostitute, and even the Fried Chicken Fairy.
This is a remarkable performance by a strong, young actor who has a lot to offer. His vocal work and physical acting are a testament to both his training and his willingness to take chances. Where he truly excels, though, is in his honesty and vulnerability. It is a rare actor who can look both lovingly and playfully at a rolled up rug and have the audience see a newborn son. His childhood descriptions of Sidney Poitier, Cicely Tyson, et al, are humanizing and engaging. Burrell's ability to personalize his performance is simply amazing. He brought back stark memories of my own father and my father's death. He had me laughing hysterically with his wonderfully realistic portrayal of a woman who has taught in the Unified School District of Los Angeles for more than 20 years. All I could think about were the friends I made during my time spent teaching at P.S. 3 in Brooklyn. Burrell's talent for instantaneously transforming into any number of different characters is startling and, at times, breathtaking.
While Burrell is careful to balance the love with the pain, the laughter with the sorrow, this show needs a much larger space to be at its best. The moments Burrell creates are wonderful to watch, but many of them are so intimate that it feels almost like invading a private family gathering. That said, with these moments Burrell explores the always-complex dynamic of race relations in this country through the pressure cooker of the mass media and entertainment industry. Yet he never lets the issues eclipse the people they involve. By the end of the performance, I dearly loved Burrell's father and lamented the world's loss that he is no longer with us.
Jemal McNeil's direction is adept and clearly motivated. His blocking uses the small space well, and his pacing of the show does a marvelous job of supporting the range of emotions Burrell is capable of. The sound and lighting are effective and unobtrusive. The sound, in particular, supports the show well, and the song choices are an outstanding reflection of the tone and various moods of the show.
My only complaint is that the script could be more fully developed. There are several places where I wanted more from a character and simply didn't get it. This performance—a little over an hour long—could easily sustain 90 minutes worth of exploration and musing on Burrell's history, and, in the end, would expand the larger meanings for us all. My hope is that Burrell will get an off-Broadway run and will allow the show to grow a bit as he prepares for larger audiences.
