You've heard me talk about it on my podcast, Comic News Insider. Soul Samurai, the new play by those crazy fuckers at Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company. It's their first Off-Broadway production.
Well, I saw it last night. And I moderated a talkback with the cast, director and writer afterward. (I'll get to the talkback later.) My review? I'd love to give one if I didn't walk out after 10 minutes. It was the worst thing I have seen in a long time and....wait...
No, that's not right. I'm thinking of the time I saw the new Knight Rider. What a piece of crap! Oh, right. Soul Samurai. Very much the opposite of Knight Rider. As in it kicked ass. A lot of ass! Literally.
What is it about? Well, let's go to the official blurb.
Cooler than Kill Bill, hotter than Shaft! Soul Samurai is the story of Dewdrop and her fight through the mean streets of a post-apocalyptic Brooklyn. After avenging her lover’s murder in the heart of Coney Island, Dewdrop now must make it back home to the Lower East Side before the shoguns of Kings County find her. In a play that mixes hip-hop culture, blaxploitation, and the martial arts, this production dials it back old school with this seventies-inspired samurai story. This is one slick slice with a sharp sword and a score to settle!
Interested? I know I was when I read that. Written by Qui Nguyen and directed by Robert Ross Parker, Soul Samurai is essentially a tale of revenge and love. New York City is crime ridden with different boroughs seceding and forming their own territory. People are slowly moving away as the gangs take over. 3 Shoguns run 3 boroughs. (The Bronx and Staten Island are not represented. I assume so as not to make the play too lengthy.)
We follow Dewdrop (Maureen Sebastian) and her lover Sally December (Bonnie Sherman). A happy little couple. So different, yet drawn together. Yep, that's them over there. And yes, that's a wig. After an unfortunate event, Dewdrop follows a path of destruction until she runs into a kung fu master. He teaches her the ways of the street, body and sword. With this new found power, she sets forth to seek her revenge.
Along her journey, she runs into Cert (Paco Tolson). A jive-talking, break dancing wannabe gangsta. Don't get me wrong, Cert has some fighting skills too. But, his constant bark up the wrong tree (i.e. hitting on lesbian Dewdrop) is hilarious. They create a great "buddy movie" dynamic. Not always getting along. One wanting the other's approval. The other one in charge. One the goofball. The other one the serious one. Their interactions resulted in some really funny stuff!
Sheldon Best takes the stage in multiple roles including Dewdrop's mentor, Master Leroy Green. (All of the players in this show play multiple roles including lead Maureen.) He's also big Boss 2k, leader of the Long Tooths gang. Think about the name and you'll know what type of gang. There's also a very poignant origin-esque story of a man called Marcus. At first, you're not sure how this relates. Qui never throws in anything superfluously, so I knew something was up. And it paid off quite well. This was Sheldon's first show with VCTC and he really fit into the group naturally.
Jon Hoche rounds out the cast in multiple roles as well. Most notably as Grandmaster Mack. Ah homage to all of the big pimps in those blaxploitation films. He had me rolling in that ghetto get up! Gotta say, his turn as Pastor was a real treat too. For those comic book nerds like me (and Hoche), you will immediately react when he enters the stage in his costume. Ennis would be proud.
I'm not going to spoil here. I'll just briefly talk about some of the theater elements and actors. One thing about VCTC shows is their use of stage combat. As you may remember, dear readers, I was trained in stage combat and taught for years. To see it done so well is very exciting. And there's A LOT of fighting in this show as with other VCTC shows. It's a combination of various fighting styles including Capoeira and Kung fu. Weapons are katanas, nunchukus, sticks and hand-to-hand.It's fast paced and frenetic at times. Did I mention there's A LOT of fighting in this show? The cast worked their asses off. Speaking from experience, learning fights is a whole other thing. You learn lines and blocking for regular plays. And people hate on musicals, but learning those dances and songs is yet another element to remember. Same thing with fights. It's choreography. And A LOT of it. Kudos to the cast for kickin the shit out of it and each other.
Another great thing that VCTC likes to do is mix up the way they present the show. They start with some video and there are a few more random ones strewn throughout. If you've not seen any of these from these guys before, you are in for a treat. It's a great way to start off the show with a huge laugh. Make that laughs. It's simple and way low budget by using action figures and fruit which results in many a guffaw. Seriously, I peed my pants. Good thing I always wear Depends to their shows.
Another element they've added to shows is the use of puppets. Yes, puppets. This ain't no Lion King or Sesame Street, but it's another great way to tell the story. Hoche takes control of the puppets and is freakin' hilarious with his puppetry and voices. Sheldon helps out with one of them as well. It's one of those, now expected, out of nowhere moments in a VCTC show. It doesn't take away from the show nor does it seem too ridiculous.
This is what I love about their shows. They aren't afraid to try things. Often coming across cinematic in nature, the stage shows will take risks with all of these elements. They combine into a fine mixture that is pleasing to our eyes and ears. Another thing this show accomplishes is the homage to the different genres. If you can't figure out they're acting a certain way in a scene because it's similar to how it was done in Blacula or Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon, then you're an idiot. Still, I don't think you need to be that familiar with those films to enjoy this show. It deftly blends humor, pathos, action, drama and just plain silliness.
Oh, did I mention that it has hot girls kissing? And fighting. And girls kissing, of course? Yes. It does. It runs through March 15th at the HERE Arts Center downtown. Get tickets NOW. I'll be going again soon. Wanna be my date? (Did I mention hot girls kissing?)
Post-show was a little talkback that I hosted with the cast, director and writer. We got down to the nitty-gritty of it all! I made them cry like babies!!!
Actually, it was quite fun, laid back and informative. I opened up questions to the audience as well. I've always enjoyed things like this. Being able to interact with the creators and artists of a show I've seen. It seemed like the audience certainly felt the same way. I think it went quite swimmingly. As you can see, it was very casual. What with the beers and such. A few secrets were spilled too, but alas...no one recorded it! Looks like we'll just have to do it again some time soon. That is, if they'll have me. Who am I kidding? OF COURSE, they'll have me. I'm awesome.
Stay tuned...we may have some of them on an episode of CNI very soon. I'll keep you posted. Meanwhile, go to the VAMPIRE COWBOYS site for more info on the show and how to get tickets. And, please. GO GET TICKETS! (Did I mention hot girls kissing?)
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