Devere Rodgers and Clifton Adams (Photo by Mae Koo)
Reviewed by Dana Martin
Moving Arts Theatre
Through June 23
RECOMMENDED
Moving Arts Theatre Company presents the world-premiere of My White Husband by Leviticus Jelks, a classic sitcom story about a modern, queer Black couple that blurs the lines between black and white reality and vivid technicolor fantasy.
Omar (Devere Rodgers), an up-and-coming screenwriter, has a fantasy of life as picture-perfect perfection. His current script, “Omar loves Ricky,” is a modern take on a 50’s style sitcom — it’s about a gay, black married couple which he wrote based on his marriage to lawyer/activist husband, Ricardo (Clifton Adams). After having given up a successful practice in Atlanta to follow Omar to Los Angeles, Ricardo struggles to find his place — and employment. The couple has been subsisting on Ricardo’s savings for years and the pressure for financial stability is building.
Finally, producer Susan (Aime Farrell) greenlights Omar’s pilot but with one small addendum: former television heartthrob and Omar’s childhood crush, Julian Fisher (Brian Kimmet), is slated to play the role but Julian is very, very white. Ricardo, outraged, demands no white husbands! But Omar, seduced by his childhood fantasy and the prospect of financial security, agrees to the change. The studio whitewashes Omar and Ricardo’s story, renaming the sitcom “My White Husband,” and removing Ricardo from the narrative completely. Omar is reduced to a supporting character in his own story; relevant only as a foil for the zany stupidity of his magical white husband: His story is no longer his own and he loses the plot as his marriage falls apart.
Amanda Knehans’ set design is functional, clever and chic. Knehans makes expert use of a small space shifting from black-and-white TV set to a modern apartment to a vibrant studio with ease. Max Brother’s lighting design is bold, playful and fills every moment of the story both stylistically and emotionally. Sound designer Nayla Hull blends modern music with laugh tracks and theme songs from the 50’s, capturing the essence of both worlds. Mylette Nora’s excellent costume design adds depth and detail to the story; Nora finds subtle ways to convey character, blending the modern and bygone eras.
Director Melissa Coleman-Reed maneuvers stylistic shifts between fantasy and reality with relative ease, although often the play’s conflict is met too tenderly, thereby lessening the intended emotional impact. Playwright Jelks explores the reality of a queer, black relationship and the alluring yet destructive nature of white magic. Jelks uses a 50’s sitcom style as a means for Omar to regularly escape his present reality by fantasizing about a less complicated time, with a magical white husband. The play’s most impactful moments reveal Omar’s humanity and explore his complex, complicated relationship with his husband. It is, however plot-heavy with the latter half rushing toward a tidy conclusion. But the story makes a clear point.
Rodgers’ performance as Omar and as sitcom star Arthur is steadfast and endearing. He sets the pace for the evening and deftly swings between worlds. Clifton Adams’ Ricardo is somewhat stiff and one-dimensional but finds an exacting delivery as Phil, the all-but-invisible milkman. Brian Kimmet is charming as Julian, the has-been actor very at home in the spotlight, and as Ollie, Arthur’s magical white husband. Aime Farrell provides decent support as network producer, Susan and nosy neighbor Sunny.
My White Husband makes a compelling case that representation matters: Omar and Ricardo agree that the depiction of a queer black couple is a rarity on network television and aim to shift the narrative. When a white actor is brought in for marketability and the fantasy of a two-season run, the story immediately centralizes around him both on and off screen — an outdated and tired story. In the end, and with the encouragement of his husband, Omar reclaims his own narrative only to find himself the beginning once again. He loses himself in a fantasy only to discover the truth: his story deserves to be celebrated as is, no white magic-— or White people — necessary
Moving Arts Theatre, 3191 Casitas Ave., Los Angeles. Fri.-Sat., Mon., 8 pm; Sun., 3 pm.; thru June 23. https://movingarts.org/project/my-white-husband/. Running time: Two hours with no intermission.
