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The Audience Talks!
You've Seen LTG's Shows, Now Tell Us What You Think! The Live Theatre Gang is interested in hearing what audiences have to say about our shows, website or anything LTG related. This is your chance to sound-off! Our Roving Reporter/Actress, Tanya Cameron caught up with folks as they left our shows to get their critique. Were you one of the people she interviewed? Read on and find out.
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Hey again Gang! I saw the wonderful pictures from "Great Comedians of Color" and wanted to compliment the photographer on capturing the vitality of the performers soooo perfectly! Having been so thrilled to be there and see the show, I felt many wonderful memories come flooding back as I looked at the photos. In particular I love the ones of my new friend Laz Viciedo, both as a modern young comedian at the beginning (great job showing the outrageous body language!), and later in the show as my favorite comic actor from the past, Freddie Prinze. I was glad to see that you published an image from the part of the show that Laz wrote, where Freddie was explaining his tragic life and early death.

I wanted to point out a couple of eerie things about those two pictures: First, in the one from the "modern" part of the show, on the left side there should have been a painting of Andrew Dice Clay on the wall behind Laz. But instead there is an image that seems to be a photo of Laz later in the show, dressed as Freddie. I wondered if the photographer added that image in processing? Secondly, in the caption of the picture from later in the show, it says "Laz IS Freddie" (emphasis mine), rather than "Laz AS Freddie"! If that is not a typo, you are soooo right--he WAS Freddie for me for that brief time, to the extent that he made me cry! If it is a typo, please don't change it!

Again, let me compliment you all on the fabulous job you are doing, and I look forward to coming to New York for more of your shows in the future! See you then!

Hey Gang! Just wanted to tell you how excited I was to make my second trip EVER to NYC to see the Peanut Gallery, and that having seen the show, I am still sooo excited! It was absolutely perfect and hysterically funny all the way through!

Let me back up a bit...my first visit to the New York Comedy Club was for "Great Comedians of Color" in May, at which time I was able to meet in person the very talented Laz Viciedo, with whom I had corresponded over the internet regarding our mutual interest in Freddie Prinze, whom he portrayed sooo brilliantly! The rest of the cast was inspired and inspiring as well, I must add!

I was glad to hear from Laz that you opened your venue to his group the Peanut Gallery, and I want to congratulate you on giving a very deserving bunch of great comedic actors their NYC debut! All the best to LTG and the Peanut Gallery in the future, and to my friend Laz, a special wish for success in every acting endeavor!

Well, the Live Theatre Gang has done it again! The first show of "Great Comedians of Color" was a hit! It was performed by a group of talented actors that transformed themselves into some of the greatest comedians of our time and they did a remarkable job. Those who saw the play can agree with me! But, what I really liked about the play was the story line, which was written by Eric Thomas who is also in the play and performs as Bling Bling as well as Bill Cosby. He did an excellent job. The story shows and teaches us about people, how times have changed and as always, feeling pride for the people of color who came before us. I had that feeling of pride watching these performers on Opening Night and so did everyone else who came to see the show. Here’s what some of them had to say about "Great Comedians of Color"

E-mail Letter
Dear Gang,
I wanted to write and tell you all what a great time I had in NYC at your show. I know I came to see Laz do Freddie, but I was blown away by the talent I witnessed in that room. You all are a very talented troupe and I hope to be able to catch your group in action again. Thank you for an evening of great entertainment and history. The performances brought back lots of memories for me and you all were soooo friendly and welcoming to this southern country girl! I can honestly say you all represent the best of NYC! If you ever get a chance to take any of your shows to the DC area, please let me know. I will come and bring all my friends! Thank you, Laz, for opening me up to a great experience. BTW the message you were presenting hit home to me. We do need to always look to our roots before we can grow! Muchas Gracias!!!

Marie Crim (West Virginia)

E-Mail Letter
I saw the last performance of Great Comedians of Color at the New York Comedy Club with a girlfriend of mine and we thought the show was a blast. The beginning, with the not so amusing jokes really threw me off at first. I am sure it had the effect that was needed, neither one of us thought it was funny. But, I knew there was more to come, so I hung in there. And, it was well worth it. I liked how all of the members of LTG got the audience involved from the beginning and through the end of the show. I was impressed with the actors/comedians ability to handle interjection from the audience. Kind of un-scripting the script. Very nice. And very memorable. You guys can really act! I probably can't say that enough. A very talented crew. Technically, I thought the show worked well in the environment. I look forward to seeing the crew in other venues. That's it! I am going to get other people to come down and check out LTG.

Best regards,
Donna Webb

Ed
Ed says he enjoyed “Great Comedians” a great deal! "Especially the impersonations of the classic comedians! It took me back to the days of my Youth. The show would do a lot of good for today’s comedians to see what went on back in the early days of the comedy."

Joan
Joan says, "The show was fabulous! I was not sure where the show was going in the beginning, (you have to see the play to know what Joan is talking about) but then it got rolling and it was hilarious! Redd Fox and Bill Cosby were my favorite." She also says she has always loved Redd Fox and as soon as he came on, (Dark Gable Most who portrayed Redd Fox) "The body language, everything was expertly like Redd. I would recommend people to come and see the show, because it does give you a message, times have changed but you do have to appreciate the old times, and television is not the only place to get your stuff from."

Sakima (age 25
Sakima says the show was excellent! She says, "You don't know what to expect in the beginning, but I was coming to see, Moms Mabley", (again you have to see the play folks to know what she is talking about) "And then you start getting the hints, comparing the old with the new, and how they were going to get into the impersonations. The transition was excellent!"

Eric (age 47)
Eric says the show was fantastic. "The transformation from young comedians of today’s to the great comedians of yesterday was ingenious." He also said in the beginning he thought the show wasn't going to be to his liking, (again that beginning folks) but when he saw them going back in time, he said to himself, “Now that's my era”. If Eric says it brought back memories for him, Moms Mabley, Redd Fox, Bill Cosby, yes they all did!

Kimberly (age 33)
Kimberly felt that the show was excellent! "It was comedy without a lot of vulgarity. The show took us back to the day when things were funny without being rude and explicit. I would definitely recommend the show to family and friends to come check out." She also said she will come back with her girls to see it again! *Note to Eric and Kimberly, I'm still checking out those ages y'all gave me, because they gave me a couple of different ages and with hesitation so I don't know folks! (Smile)

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THE AUDIENCE TALKS ABOUT “ADAM”

I am sure for those of you who came out to see the play “Adam: The Life and Times...", portrayed by Reed McCants on Sunday, February 24, 2002 at 3:00 and 5:00 will agree with me when I say it was spectacular! Reed McCants' portrayal of Adam Clayton Powell Jr. was very emotional, powerful, informative and touching and I'm not the only one who feels that way. Read on to find out what some people had to say:

Ramona Kitt, said the play was very interesting, it had a lot of dimension. She says it, "Brought back things that she remembered as a kid, growing up." She compared this play to the movie Adam Clayton Powell, which aired on Showtime recently, and said that they should have used Reed McCants for it. She continued by saying, “Because of the likeness in character, because Adam was a very charismatic person and Reed McCants portrayed that." Ramona is an Angel of LTG and she will definitely come back and see more shows and bring more people when she does.

Bob Slade of Kiss FM, said he thought, "The brother (McCants') was great!" He especially liked the speech he gave at the end, "What’s In Your Hand”, and if LTG will bring the play back he would see it again.

Sally (Sorry Sally I didn't get your last name, age 20's) said, "The play was incredible, it was really powerful. I had no idea who this person was until this show went up. Now, after seeing the play how could you not know who he was, because he was so important. I will absolutely come out to see more productions presented by the Gang."

Laz (age 24): said he also didn't know too much about Adam Clayton Powell.
He just didn’t hear about him, but the play, "Sent tingles down my spine. From the moment Reed stepped on stage I believed that Reed was Adam Clayton Powell. Especially the second act, because he was so powerful and so real. It was no Reed in there it was all Adam, it was phenomenal”.

Anita McKee Thomas (age 30) thought the play was great and wonderful.
She didn't know a lot of the things that Adam had done. She says that the play should be in a bigger theatre but that she would recommend it to other people to see.

Glennis Bryant (age 61) asked “How did he do it? I mean he just transformed himself, that was Adam Clayton Powell Jr.! I would recommend this play to people." She also said that we've forgotten Adam Clayton Powell. "Our children, and young people don't know anything about him. Harlem is now undergoing a renaissance and Adam Clayton Powell is not even mentioned. This play brought back a lot of memories for me. I live in Harlem and their naming their trees by the very prominent and important figures in Harlem and Adam Clayton Powell has to be one of them!"

Gwenn Coburn: thought the play was tremendous and wonderful. She says that, "It's amazing how dynamic Adam Clayton Powell was, and how dynamic he was portrayed by the gentlemen Reed McCants. It was amazing how Reed McCants spoke just like him." She had learned about the play after hearing him on radio that morning. Because of what she heard on the radio, that's the reason why she came to the play.

Black Pearl ( age 53): She says Reed McCants was hot! She wants the play to be brought back so that everybody could see it!

Mary Mastone (age 66) thought the play was, "Absolutely fabulous!" Mary states that she knew a lot about the political history and personal life of the man (Adam Clayton Powell Jr.) and that it was kept in the shadows. She thinks that everything comes to light and shines appropriately in its own place and time. And that the youth can identify with this type of man, because this is the type of man that they are. So until the youth identify with this man we will never be able to bring him back and have him stand on the pedestal that he deserves. I asked her if this play was brought back would she come see it again or suggest friends see it and she said she promises to bring at least two groups, she knows a lot of people and in fact used to be a part of a theatre group herself. But Mary has a special request, she would like the last monologue performed by Reed McCants as Adam Clayton Powell to be put on the LTG's website.

So there you have it, people of all ages and colors enjoyed the “Adam” I have to say that I too was proud the performance, it brought me to tears. The LTG thanks everyone for coming out to support and thank you for your words and thoughts. Hope to see you again for more productions presented by the LTG Gang!

I interviewed a few people who came to see the play “Sista Scrooge” on December 9 at 3pm and December 23 at 5pm and this is what they had to say about the show:

Jenice Griffin said, “I thoroughly enjoyed the play. The actors are very talented. Ah-Keisha McCants’ direction brought everyone into the Christmas spirit and the play moved well. The writing was excellent.”

Ricky Griffen agreed saying, “I found “Sista Scrooge” to be spectacular. The play was well written and the performances were very good. I loved all the actors, but Mr. Cratchit (portrayed by Jomo Kellman), got him off the edge of his seat. Especially when he sang “What Is Christmas?”

Ruby Ellis says, “I loved “Sista Scrooge” and that all the actors acted very beautifully and believably. My favorite character was Barbara Cratchit (portrayed Tanya Cameron), because she loved the way she moved, talked and acted. I also loved Mr. Cratchit (portrayed by Jomo Kellman), just thinking about his suspenders holding his pants up so high made her just start laughing all over again!”

When asked about what Martina thought about “Sista Scrooge” she said, “The acting, directing and music was really good. I would recommend “Sista Scrooge” for friends to check out. I’ve seen other plays presented by the Live Theatre Gang, such as “Café Millennium” and “Great Men and Women of Color” and I will continue to show support for LTG in the future.”

“I found “Sista Scrooge” to be creative in it’s approach to deliver the message. I thought the direction was very creative and I think Ah-Keisha McCants is a very talented individual. I’ve also seen “Café Millennium” and “Great Men and Women of Color” and the plays presented by LTG are very good, but “Great Men and Women of Color” was my favorite.”

“I really liked the play. The show was funny and the direction was very good and so was the acting! I really enjoyed it.”

Marla says, “I thought “Sista Scrooge was just wonderful. The acting was superb, the singing fun, the jokes were hilarious and the direction was excellent. I had so many favorites in the show, but my favorite was Mr. Cratchit (Portrayed by Lazaro Viciedo), because he was so funny.”

“Scrooge’s performance was so believable. She was a bad, mean old lady. But no matter how mean Scrooge was, I loved her. She was my favorite character in the play.”

Amy states that “Sista Scrooge” was, “Very good, very funny and very well-written. The acting was also good. There was a certain style to the play that made all the characters fall into place. Every character was very defined. I would definitely recommend “Sista Scrooge” to friends to see because it was a good spin on an old story.”

So as you’ve read, people of all ages and races have come out to see the LTG productions. The Gang thanks you and hopes to see you all at more productions presented by the Live Theatre Gang!