There are times in Nathan Louis Jackson’s play “Broke-ology” when you might think you’ve seen it all before. Some 50 years after the landmark “A Raisin in the Sun,” the basic premise of an inner-city black family struggling for a better life out of “the ’hood” isn’t exactly breaking new ground.
Among Jackson’s fairly familiar characters, one of the grown sons is an environmental activist, with a master’s degree and his eye on a prized job in far-off Connecticut. The other is tied to their native Kansas City, with a pregnant girlfriend and a dead-end career at a fast-food joint called Lord of the Wings. Not surprisingly, as their aging father’s multiple sclerosis worsens, the brothers clash about how best to handle the situation.
Although the wife and mother of the family died 15 years ago, she periodically appears to her husband to share a glass of chocolate milk or reminisce about their hopes and dreams – some realized, others dashed. But even this theatrical device is relatively unremarkable, next to similarly supernatural elements in certain August Wilson dramas.
More jarring than Jackson’s mix between reality and fantasy are a few of his comedic flourishes, the most conspicuous of which involve a stolen garden gnome that serves to bring the two brothers closer together, and later becomes a sort of confidante to their father.
Through it all, artistic director Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre staging of “Broke-ology” generates its strength from the palpable emotional bond established by the three actors playing the men of the family, who frequently commiserate around the kitchen table during games of dominoes.
The venerable veteran Afemo Omilami delivers a towering portrayal of the ailing patriarch. Haunted by strange dreams, frustrated by feelings of helplessness and longing for a return to “the way things used to be,” he brings a heartbreaking authority to the role. Nearly as impressive, in the show’s most effective moment of levity, he performs a spot-on dance routine set to the Temptations’ “It’s Just My Imagination.”
As the conflicted sons, Eric J. Little and Enoch King hold their own opposite Omilami, and they complement one another wonderfully. Little is better known for his dramatic work, King for his comedies, so it’s nice to see both of them challenging their respective comfort zones. Rather than simply playing up the contentiousness of the relationship, they do an admirable job of revealing a genuine sense of brotherly love.
Regrettably, Jasmine Guy, who has become something of the resident leading lady of Leon’s company (“Miss Evers’ Boys,” “Blues for an Alabama Sky,” the upcoming “Fool For Love”), is less persuasive in the smaller, admittedly problematic role of that otherworldly spirit. Her few scenes with Omilami lack passion, barely generating as much chemistry as he eventually finds with that inanimate garden gnome.
Theater review
“Broke-ology”
Grade: B-
Through Feb. 20. 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays; 2:30 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays; 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8. $20-$45. Southwest Arts Center, 915 New Hope Road, Atlanta. 1-877-725-8849. truecolorstheatre.org.
Bottom line: A slice of life, reheated.
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