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Also on hand to pay their respects: Reginald and Barnetta’s gay son Kenny (Derrick Robertson), as well as his white and Jewish boyfriend Logan (Chase Steven Anderson), and several actors Kenny’s brother Simone (Tequila Whitfield) is newly single and recovering from an eating disorder; Beverly’s hated teenage daughter, Latrice (Anaya Cheyenne), a wannabe TikToker The hip-hop artist’s man; and a late mystery guest named Brianna (Brittany Minnieweather).
In a quirky, dubious style of prolonging the sitcom’s plot, most of them seem to accept Beverley’s original assertion that church services should not be funerals, but celebrations of Bernard’s life. Several family members were invited to give monologues with personal anecdotes about their late father and grandfather. Most eulogies are prone to unbridled hysteria, with different relatives often opening and slamming the lid of the coffin, or rolling frantically around the sanctuary.
Naomi Lavert, left, and Tonya Jackson as estranged sisters in “Chicken and Biscuits” reunite at their father’s funeral.Courtesy of Dominion Entertainment Group/Mel Burton
Credit: Mel Burton
Credit: Mel Burton
Naomi Lavert, left, and Tonya Jackson as estranged sisters in “Chicken and Biscuits” reunite at their father’s funeral.Courtesy of Dominion Entertainment Group/Mel Burton
Credit: Mel Burton
Credit: Mel Burton
Immediate reactions from other participants ranged from the appropriate “speechless” (Reginald) to the understandable “embarrassment” (Baneatta). It’s bewildering to hear someone say that parties are a reflection of the “purest and most vulnerable form” of the family. Scripts often waste potentially moving moments for cheap laughs—for example, Kenny recalls a transformative event in his childhood when Bernard took him to see The Lion King—and ends up embarrassingly The ending ultimately resorts to various loose ends of the emotionally emotional plot.
The standout on Jones’ director’s design team is client Trey Giddens, and not just when it comes to Banetta and Beverly’s funeral costumes: Dig into the tracksuits Kenny and Logan wore when they landed at the airport, the colors Coordinated to match their luggage (kudos to prop master Fredrieka Lloyd). That might not sound like much in the (barely) grand scheme of things, but it’s the kind of simple, subtle touch that the rest of “Chicken and Biscuits” could use.
theatre review
“Chicken and Biscuits”
Until June 28th. Thursday-Friday 8pm; Saturday 2pm and 8pm; Sunday 3pm. $45-50. Southwest Center for the Arts, 915 New Hope Road SW, Atlanta. ruler.org.
bottom line: Not tasteless, but empty calories are too heavy.
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