The Word Begins
Steve Connell and Sekou Andrews fearlessly unleash their own powerful brand of humanism through an acerbic frenzy of riveting spoken word, hip-hop and philosophical musings. Between them, language is their only weapon as they tackle monumental issues with the deadly accuracy of David against Goliath. Spiritual, complex, urban and urbane, their words ricochet against the graffiti-painted walls, hitting their mark and hitting home “what must be spoken/must be heard.”
And the people are listening. Originally produced at the Signature Theatre and later developed at the Ojai Playwrights Festival, “The Word Begins” also appeared most recently at the LA Radar Festival to critical acclaim. Now at the Rogue Machine in partnership with the Hip-Hop Theater Festival, a new crop of listeners are hanging onto their every word.
Minimalist in design but heady in its execution, Connell and Andrews bound from atop benches and stools as their mouths work overtime in a fluid harmony of choreographed dialogue. Literally finishing each other’s sentences midstream, they converge as if two minds become one voice.
The humor is where Connell and Andrews excel, avoiding the trap of turning everything into a nail whenever they use their words like a hammer. From childhood disillusionments to finding the right Hallmark card for your girlfriend to an American Minstrel Show, the pair playfully interacts with the audience, keeping them fully engaged with cheeky asides and exchanges.
In the “make love, not war” segment, they encourage interracial sex in a bawdy quest to make everyone “beige.” These and other amusing highlights bring more power to their words much in the same way there is truth in jest. It is honest, enlightening, supremely witty and effective.
The strength of this material lies in their ability to poke fun at themselves and others. ‘Sarah Palin is just a sex tape away from being President.” Funny, because it’s true followed by a grim observation, “Our leaders are wrong to believe in us.” Just when the laughter hits its zenith, the pair drops a verbal ticking bomb, erupting on cue like an aftershock stilling the room into silence.
Robert Egan’s crisp pace adds immediacy to the text and stays just one step ahead of the audience, giving this well-oiled machine an organic flow of spontaneous expression. Clever segues and small vignettes connect the seemingly irreverent pieces into a cohesive whole. A splashy montage of various elected officials, propaganda and other contemporary pictorials flash across the walls in the undercurrent refrain challenging status quo and abuse of power.
At its heart, where these pieces originate, the complexities of racism, privilege, belief, and faith to endure through these suffer only from the duo’s pure, unadulterated naked desire to make better, to make something more of what we are as individuals and as a people. It may be the innocent appeal of a child who still fervently believes in superheroes, real or imaginary. It is through the power of words that their message appeals to create positive change, finding resonance that is both mature and blindingly optimistic. So long as they speak: there is hope.
They begin as they end, “We take back…” It’s more apt to say they give back. Giving us their words, on loan while we watch them perform, or to keep and like them, begin our own words.
“The Word Begins” Nominated for three Helen Hayes Awards
Runs through July 24
Rogue Machine
5041 Pico Blvd.,
LA, CA 90019
(West of La Brea)
Thurs, Fri, Sat & Sun @ 8pm
Youth show on Thurs, July 21 (free for youths) @ 2pm
PH: 855-585-5185
www.roguemachinetheatre.com
Tickets: $20-$35
For more info about Steve Connell & Sekou Andrews please visit their websites
www.StevenConnell.com
www.TheSekouEffect.com