THE KEY TO BEIN’ ME
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None is a professional performer. And when they’re feeling unsure of themselves, they tend to mumble. The songs are sung earnestly but not always on key. Every once in a while one of them will break into a great big grin during a dance number that’s obviously going awry. By that time, unless your heart is made of stone, you’re grinning back. This young cast is so winning, so tough, so lacking in artifice that you’re taken by surprise. It’s downright weird to encounter a group of real human beings gathered together on a stage. The only artifice comes from the adult professionals surrounding them.
Written by Jackie Taylor and Lephate Cunningham Jr., with input from the cast, The Key to Bein’ Me is “a musical documentary solving the hardships of life.” Using theater as a tool to reach out into the community and help young people rebuild self-esteem and push on with their lives is one of the best practical applications of this art form I can think of, and the Black Ensemble deserves plenty of praise. This production, however, falls far short of “solving” any hardships.
