Jackie Taylor has given us many biopic musicals that entertained and informed us throughout the decades of African- Americans who have paved the way in entertainment at the Black Ensemble Theater. However, the woman who started BET 44 years ago had a mission to eradicate racism and is unwavering to get to the root of the problem, find a solution to resolve the hatred of minorities (people of color) so that the healing can begin.

Vowing to go deeper in the 20/20 season Taylor and her ensemble members deliver a powerful and poignant production with the original story “LEGENDS THE MUSICAL: A Civil Rights Movement, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.” The two-act musical gives us a pathway of healing, with this bold narrative and musical journey of truth from the devastation of racism” and “discrimination” by paying tribute to those who lost their lives fighting against the disparity of prejudice, by examining the effects of racism.

BET dedicated ensemble members Dwight Neal and Dawn Bless are the primary hosts on the “Healing Circle” as they guide us through the lenses of racism and discrimination.

Legends is a moving and unsettling narrative of suffering that many endured just because of hatred and fear. It’s an uncomfortable truth about America and those in power who rebuff to recognize their atrocities or acknowledge the remarkable accomplishments of minorities.

Lemond Hayes choreographed dance routines to original music and song, was delivered by ten of the ensemble members. BET shares the maltreatment of African Americans, by echoing the souls of those murdered that refused to stay quiet about the inequalities of racism.

The set design was very simplistic and calming, donned in a bluish-gray color with a circular mount in the center. A full screen was incorporated as the backdrop projecting the names and faces of African Americans murdered and the ones who have contributed to the fabric of this country.

Positioned behind the projection screen was Taylor’s band led by Musical director Robert Reddick (drums) and his group Adam Sherrod (keyboards), Mark Miller (bass), and Gary Baker (guitar).

The music ranged from church-like hymns to R/B Soul. ‘Welcome to the healing’ and ‘We Must Remember, written by our own Jackie Taylor, Sam Cooke, “A Change Is Gonna Come, B. King, J. Leiber, and M. Stoller, “Stand by Me,” and John Lennon, “Imagine.” Legends playlist tugged at your heartstrings with memorable songs during a special tribute to those who fought through the injustice during the civil rights era.

Taylor informs the audience that the ensemble players contributed to the writing of the musical. Dawn Bless, blessed us with her soulful sounds throughout the musical, and Jasmine Bomer was marvelous doing her performance of (Rise Up). Mary Simpson, who made her debut at BET, displayed a pristine voice, and Colleen Perry’s soulful sounds delighted the audience. The men featuring Dwight Neal, Vincent Jordan, Stewart Romeo, Blake Hawthorne, and Blake Reasoner, singing and dancing, provided a soulful touch.

Legends will ruffle some feathers and hits hard at racism and discrimination, but that its goal. It also peels back the hardship with love and understanding, trying to get people of hate to see that we are all the same regardless of our complexion.

We can never forget the horrendous act of senseless violence, or we will repeat the past. Taylor’s quest to annihilate hate and bring people together to see the content of our character and not the color of the skin is a lesson we, (meaning all humanity) unfortunately, still haven’t learned.

Let’s Play ‘Recommend ‘ that you check out LEGENDS at Black Ensemble Theater.

BLACK ENSEMBLE THEATER PRESENTS
THE WORLD PREMIERE OF
JACKIE TAYLOR’S LEGENDS THE MUSICAL:
A CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY FOUNDER AND CEO JACKIE TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 22-APRIL 12, 2020

Don’t wait to be great. This powerful message is one that 12 year old Jahkil Jackson has as a tagline for his nonprofit organization, Project I Am.  Those word have been a reality for him since he started the organization four years ago, at only eight years old. Since then, he’s been acknowledged by the likes of President Barack Obama, CNN, Marvel, Cartoon Network and more for all of the greatness he puts out into the world. Jahkil knew he didn’t have to wait until he became an adult to make a difference in the world, and he wants other kids to know they don’t have wait either.

Today, my daughter and I attended Project I Am’s fourth anniversary celebration here in Chicago. Project I Am was created to raise awareness about homelessness and help the homeless by providing with key essentials like toiletries, socks and other useful items via blessing bags. Jahkil has given out more than 35,000 bags since he started, and continues to find new ways to give back.

The event attracted nearly 200 kids and teens from all over the Chicagoland area who came out to help stuff blessing bags and enjoy open skating in celebration of Jahkil’s hard work. My daughter was excited to be a part of something that true makes a difference in other people’s lives. She’s been pretty adamant about helping the homeless in small ways like giving them change or food since she was about five years old or so. Now, she’s inspired to do even more.

You can also help Jahkil continue these efforts by visiting his website to make a monetary donation, send items for blessing bags or purchase cool items with inspiring messages like, “Don’t wait to be great.”

Amare Symoné has had herself a busy 2020 thus far. She is fresh off the release of her empowering new single “Sooofly,” and she is gearing up for the release of her upcoming Agape Acoustics EP, which is due out on March 25. However she has managed to squeeze in yet another single, “Pictures,” which sees her reaching depths of vulnerability she hasn’t tapped into before.

The instrumentation is absolutely gorgeous. The guitar lines are smooth and warm, and the chord progressions paint a serene vibe. The production is a new sound for Symoné, but it really works.

An artist known for her brooding introspection, Symoné reaches a whole new level on this new cut. The “Pictures” she is referring to are the ones of a former flame she still has a connection to even though they’re through. She expresses no interest in pursuing a relationship with this person, but an intense infatuation persists. She is left involuntarily alone and the heartbreak is immense.

“Pictures” sees Amare Symoné exuding all of the traits that make her a compelling artist to begin with. Her pensive songwriting taps into the most universal of human emotions, bringing them to life in a way that anyone can empathize with. However, with the more stripped-down production, Symoné is also treading new waters in terms of sound, which only makes her artistic trajectory that much more intriguing.

“Pictures” is now available on all platforms.

Stream “Pictures” here: https://fanlink.to/amaresymonepictures

Follow Amare Symoné on Instagram @amaresymone

In 1965 a wonderful playwright and director, Douglas Turner Ward, wrote the amazing satiric play Day of Absence. It helped launch the iconic Negro Ensemble Company in New York City. The mission of the Company was to present live theatre written by and about black people to a culturally diverse audience that was and is often underserved by the theatrical community.

Day of Absence was then and is now a timely production that should open the eyes to all of America…and beyond.

The play takes place in a quiet southern town that falls into chaos when one day the white people wake up to notice that all the Black people have disappeared. Day of Absence is traditionally performed as a ‘reverse minstrel show,’ with black actors in white-face.

Congo Square Theatre celebrates its 20^th Anniversary season by bringing this iconic play into to the twenty-first century. The funny thing is that not much has changed.

Director Anthony Irons has included the disappearance of black and brown citizens to this production.  He has successfully made this play so relevant while maintaining the humor of the situation. The way he integrated films, TV shows, and songs that we all know added flavor to what could have been a dated script.  In fact, the audience was laughing so loud some of the dialogue was lost, however, the meaning was not.

The cast is amazing with perfect timing and energy. I was a little worried because Day of Absence was the first play I performed in as a theatre major.  It is my all-time favorite play because of the in depth meaning behind all the humor.  My fears were set aside when Jordan Arredondo and Ronald L. Connor  opened the show as two friends, Luke and John who first notice that there aren’t any black or brown people at the mall.  I was laughing till tears ran.  Founding Congo Square Ensemble member, Ann Joseph as the Mayor and Ronald L. Connor as her assistant Jackson are hilarious. 

While the play is funny and an enjoyable evening at the theater, it is scary that nothing has changed. That the significance and importance of black and brown people to society is so taken for granted that we would have to be missing before our worth and accomplishments are seen. OR we can all go to the polls and really let them know the power of Black and Brown Americans.

Congo Square Theatre Company’s Day of Absence is playing at the Victory Gardens’ Richard Christiansen Theatre through March 22, 2020.  You do not want to miss this powerful production.

I give it 5 out of 5 Winks of the EYE.

Until next time, keep your EYE to the sky!

The March edition of the Chicago Artisan Market vill showcase more than 100 of the Midwest’s finest artisans under one roof. Exhibitors vill include designers & makers of clothing, jewelry, vearable art, shoes & accessories, pastries, gourmet food & healthy snack foods, natural skincare products, home goods & décor, and functional & decorative art. Team Gregula vill ve visiting the Chicago Artisan Market for the fourth time.

There vill be various opportunities for market attendees to enjoy. Meet & shop vith 100+ artisans in food, fashion, home goods and art. Learn how the makers create their one-of-a-kind designs and products. Look, listen, feel and taste everything on display throughout the Sunday market. DIY Classes (booked in advance only) vith seasonal themes including: The Art of Orchids, Hand Lettering, Spring Floral Design 101, Create a Vertical Garden, Learn to Paint Floral Watercolor Wreaths.

This family-friendly market also includes a FREE Kids Zone featuring  complimentary arts & crafts and kid friendly snacks. Plus professional face painting for only $5-6.

DATE

•  Sunday, March 8, 2020

TIME

• 10AM – 4PM

VENUE

• Morgan MFG
  401 N. Morgan St., Chicago, IL 60642
  (West Loop / Fulton Market)

ADMISSION

• General Admission: $8 ($10 at door)
• Includes VIP Goodie Bag: $25
• Group Tickets: 4 for $20
• Kids under 12: Free

For additional information, click HERE.

Connect vith Count Gregula’s Crypt

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[embedded content]He had to do it again, drag Monica Lewinsky back into the spotlight when he “explained” why he had an affair with the White House intern. In this latest explanation, he revealed he did it to “manage his anxieties.”

As quoted in the New York Times he prattled on:

“You feel like you’re staggering around — you’ve been in a 15-round prizefight that was extended to 30 rounds, and here’s something that’ll take your mind off it for a while,” Mr. Clinton says. “Everybody’s life has pressures and disappointments and terrors, fears of whatever, things I did to manage my anxieties for years.”

Despicable.

Most twitter and other responses suggested that he should have taken a pill to manage his anxieties. Instead, seeking relief with medication (or by himself), Clinton’s insufferable ego compelled him to make up a new explanation, all so that he can be included the spreading Blob of victimhood.

What bothered me even more was his selfish compulsion to drag Monica Lewinsky back into the public’s consciousness, with all the embarrassment and shame that goes with it.

There was no reason except for his personal benefit to bring it up again.

He used her then, and he’s using her now. She wasn’t a person that he had wronged; she was a pill, a Valium. A stress reliever. A tool. Yes, he admits he had wronged her, just as, I suppose, you can claim that the devil (i.e. his stress)  made him do it.

Monica Lewinsky was a  young woman who deserved–and still does–all the compassion handed out by the #MeToo movement to sexually abused women. 

I will not be watching the sickening four-part documentary series, “Hillary,” which amounts to one more pathetic exercise by a desperate woman to place herself in the front row of the national stage. I would vomit if I saw her, as she does in the series, “reveal” how surprised she was by Bill’s affair. She explained how she was “convinced” by adamant denials of an affair. It is high-order BS when everyone else in America knew that her creepy husband was lying. (And later committed a true impeachable felony of perjury by lying under oath about his affair.)

It is truly beyond my understanding how progressives, masters of the universe of compassion, could tolerate Clinton’s victimization of Lewinsky. How they could excuse him of what today would be a capitol offense if committed by, a corporate CEO, against not just an intern, but a grown woman. The power imbalance of that affair if just staggering, exceeding anything that has been recently revealed.

And don’t you dare say that Lewinsky was a willing participant in the affair. By the definition hurled about today about what defines sexual harassment and assault, Clinton not only should have been  removed from office but should have faced criminal charges once out of office.

In my view, Bill Clinton is as much of a slithering worm in a pile of dung as Harvey Weinstein. That a network would give any credibility to him and his equally obnoxious wife signals just how deep today’s popular culture has sunk.

Here (below) is his defense of his actions in an earlier interview. He felt “terrible” (boo hoo for his suffering), he didn’t  get off free and he left the White House “16 million in debt.”  Talk about Donald Trump’s state of mind. This guy is Trump’s equal in that department. Be sure to watch the goofy excuses made for him by two women defenders of the dirt bag.

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[email protected]

www.dennisbyrne.net 

My historical novel: Madness: The War of 1812

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I’m getting this posted at my usual time, but minus a few dozen beer events I have yet to populate my calendar with. Y’see, Mrs. ‘Naut broke her wrist last Friday, and had surgery this past Friday to put all the bones back together. So I’ve been sitting with her. I’m continuing to add events for the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day, so I once again ask you to check back often!

Friday, March 13

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Saturday, March 14

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Sunday, March 15

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I’m too old.

Like Joe Biden.

I recognize Joe Biden. I know him. I know what it is to struggle for a word, as Biden did when he couldn’t remember, holy smokes, the name of God when he said, “All men and women created by—you know, you know the thing.”

Or when he called Super Tuesday “Super Thursday.” Or when he proclaimed he was a candidate for the “United States Senate,” and he advised everyone that if you don’t vote for him to “vote for the other Biden.”

Huh?

When Biden says, “If we do everything right, if we do it with absolute certainty, there’s still a 3o percent chance we’re going to get it wrong,” he could be mistaken for Yogi Berra who once  said, “Pair up in threes.” Maybe you know what he meant, but you can’t be sure.

As the New York Times noted, “A day on the campaign trail without a cringe-inducing gaffe is a rare blessing. He has not been too blessed lately.” And that was back in 2008.

Seems that Joe has been working on getting old for a long time.

Remember Mrs. Malaprop, a character in Richard Brinsely Sheridan’s play, “The Rivals,” who butchered the English language? Like her, Biden’s blunders would get him tagged President Malaprop.

His gaffs are too numerous to itemize here. Taken alone, each one might not be troublesome, but altogether, they describe a man who is well past his prime. Dangerously so.

But here’s the kicker: Biden’s opponent is another old guy, Bernie Sanders. What we have here is one old guy (Biden) who is possibly out of his mind running against another old guy who is definitely out of his mind.

Add to that this lament: The only two viable candidates the Democrats have are two, old white guys. (That’s another story that I’ll leave to the professional race baiters.) Of course, whichever gaffer gets the Democratic nomination, he’ll be facing another old white guy, Donald Trump.

Boy oh boy, what a country. Out of more than 300 million Americans, the best we could find to head the executive branch is septuagenarians?

Here I’ll be instructed that age isn’t a factor, that [fill in the name of your favorite geezer] is bright and quick as a man [half or whatever] his age.

That, of course, is horsepucky (a vulgarity probably not familiar to anyone under 70). You’d don’t just lose a step. Or struggle to find the right word. Or can’t remember if you applied deodorant this morning. You no longer think or react as quickly. It’s harder to focus. Taking in new information is a challenge. You doze off.

And consider:  The next president could be an old guy who might have to face an Article 25 removal from office because, as it said, he has “lost his faculties.” And picking who’ll be the vice president to take his place will be chosen, not by us, but in the dark.

The average life expectancy at age 78 for an American man is about 9 years. (It’s a year-and-a-half longer for women, but that’s also another story.) With that in mind, I plan to live life fully in a way that’s pleasing to me and wife Barb. And not pursuing an ego-driven dream that inflicts myself on my family, community or country.

So, here’s the line-up. An old guy whose infirmities are moving from a side show to the main event. Another old guy who is a captive of  the worn-out and discredited ideas that molded him as a hippy dippy youth. And another old guy whose mind tells him that he’s the greatest ever, no doubt about it.

Right now, I’d settle for the latter because what he (Trump) has accomplished is much closer to the mainstream than either what Biden or Sanders would do to America.

Now it’s time for a nap.

[email protected]

www.dennisbyrne.net 

My historical novel: Madness: The War of 1812

Want to subscribe to the Barbershop? Type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.