“Curtain Up” is a weekly performing arts review column exploring the vast and dynamic theater world in Atlanta.
I am going to say this and then I am going to move on to the juicy bits. Or rather, move past the juicy bits. And by bits I don’t mean small. To get to the point, there is full-frontal male nudity in this play. I had a full-blown, unexpected, stage gawping moment. Kind of like Samantha Jones in Sex and the City, except I didn’t go home with the very comfortable actor afterwards.
I wasn’t warned prior to my viewing. I was sitting in my seat like a responsible adult would and out came Ralph D., played by Neal A. Ghant. From my viewpoint, he was shirtless and it fit the scene since he had quite obviously just enjoyed a little romping around. But then my head shifted and the man’s head in front of me was no longer blocking the full show below. Then I turned 12. I regressed from 26 to 12 and my penis-on-stage cherry was popped. There I said it. Now lets move on.
Yes, there is a naked man, a whole lot of lingerie and many, many very bad words. If you can’t handle mature content and cross yourself every single time a f-bomb flies, your hands will be too tired to enjoy this play. But if you are less faint of heart, this show is amazing. I am a theater junkie. I grew up on the stage and in audiences so no matter what I see, I usually like it to some degree. “The Motherfucker with the Hat” is one of those rare plays that all levels of theater aptitude will be entertained by.
The writing is phenomenal, thanks to Stephen Adly Guirgis. It’s witty, quick and vulgar but has a whole lot of heart. “The Mother****** with the Hat” explores issues of love, relationships, drug abuse and friendships, the boundaries that we cross or keep, and the ever-present urge to self-sabotage. Freddie Ashley has directed a beautiful and funny show where the moments are real and the pacing is fast. The show jumps from scene to scene, laying the story at your feet as you laugh and cringe, and feel for the characters in front of you.
As mentioned before, each actor fully embraced their characters. This was not their first rodeo. Denise Arribas, who plays Veronica, opens the show with her fast and dirty mouth. Her comedic timing with Randy Cohlmia, in the role of Jackie, was perfection and the relationship between the two was genuinely screwed up and yet you kept rooting for them.
Each character is flawed in some way, and they all come together, and break apart, and hurl themselves at each other hoping for something real to hold on to. Ralph D. (Ghant) and Victoria (Stacy Melich) are the quintessential couple who have regrets, burdens and trust issues. Their banter is hilarious and well played, but still has roots in what is causing the cracks in their pretty facade.
The voice of reason, Cousin Julio, played by Luis R. Hernandez, is like a badass mother. He will cook you empanadas but if you cross his family, watch out for Van Dam to come catapulting from his track suit. He is warm and soft but when the time comes, he is fierce and true. Cousin Julio is one of those great characters that doesn’t shine in the light too long, but you leave the theater completely in love and remembering all of his fine moments.
Go see this show. Even if you are not a theater fan, the intimate experience in this small black box theater, watching a train wreck unfold, is anything but boring. Plus, who doesn’t like a good excuse to say motherfucker.
“The Mother******with the Hat” is running until April 14 at Actor’s Express (887 W. Marietta St. NW, Suite J-107). Ticket prices vary depending on the day you go, but no matter the price or day, students receive a $5 discount. For more information or to reserve a ticket, visit actors-express.com.
