American Players Theatre: The Death of Chuck Brown

Allie Bugajski, Allie and the After Party

Enveloped In This Slice of Life at American Players

Two worn-in, but well maintained orange barbershop chairs sit before us on a checkered linoleum floor. Behind them, a large bay window overlooks the street and other businesses out front. Smoke starts billowing from the wings and fills the stage taking us to a different dimension. A tall, lanky figure walks out onto the street dressed in a black leather coat, black sunglasses, and a black cowboy hat. He takes his time walking across the stage, his hands tracing the front window. He leans up against the shop door, his arms high like he’s calling something down or absorbing the energy. He disappears as slowly as he came and the lights come up.

This is Kofi’s Barbershop. It has its quirks, like there’s no internet or cell signal and the door always sticks. But it feels personal and homey (set design by Lawrence E. Moten III) . There’s so much to feast our eyes on from the subway tile walls, to the quirky mugs, to the photos of notable African American and Black figures all over the walls. Water runs from the tap, a fan on a shelf whirs and rotates back and forth trying to keep the shop cool, and clippers buzz adding to the air of realism. Owner Kofi himself, played by David Alan Anderson, makes his first appearance from the back room and here begins a fateful day in The Death of Chuck Brown.

A Community Gathers

The Death of Chuck Brown is set in a very specific point in time - Obama is finishing his first term and running for reelection and today the legendary Chuck Brown, the Godfather of Go-Go, has passed away in the early hours of the morning. We’re treated to an intimate picture of the Black community in this business that acts as the central gathering point. There’s Sweep (Nathan Barlow), Kofi’s friend and employee whose like family to him. Landscaping business owner, Smitty played by Cedric G. Young represents our older generation. We see why they call him the Prophet of 12th Street as he starts jovial but turns reflective as his eyes unfocus and sees something we can’t. Then there’s the token white boy, Ricky played by Josh Krause, who shows he’s an ally as he majored in African American history and is teaching at Woodrow Wilson high school.

Like any parent, Kofi just wants his teenage son, Prince played by Jonathan Gardner, to be safe. His worries grow stronger as number one, their neighborhood is “changing” (read as: gentrifying) as a Whole Foods and Starbucks go up down the street, which comes with an increased police presence. And two, he knows the additional prejudices and dangers his son faces just by existing and being a Black teenager in this day and age.

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