By Ernest Kearney — This is the second installment of the autobiographical tale Cooper Bates first introduced to Hollywood Fringe audiences in 2018. That show, like this one, follows his journey from the small town of Hill City, Kansas as he tries to realize his dreams of an acting career.
In this chapter, we are shown how quickly a young man’s dreams can darken into nightmares as exploiters bait their traps with the hopes of others.
Bates, in telling his story, introduces us to those he leaves and those he encounters but, at its core, this is a story of overcoming the brutality others may inflict on us; the survival not only of oneself but of one’s dreams.
Bates, and Director Frankie Louise, however, have muted the power and impact of that core.
Bates portrays all the assorted characters within the piece and portrays them skillfully – but not succinctly. There is excess in the telling and some repetition in the tale which doesn’t serve to sharpen the piece. Too much time is given to characters whose primary function in the narrative is that they are going to be left. Bates recounts the brutality that befalls him in gut-twisting detail, but afterward, we are denied his resurrection.
But for Bates’ intense and courageous performance: a Gold Medal.
****
Learn More at cooperbates.com
Black When I Was A Boy – Part II Blacked Out
playing during the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2023
at the
Hudson Theatres (Hudson Guild),in Hollywood.
For Hollywood Fringe Festival Details, Black When I Was A Boy – Part II Blacked Out Show Information, and Tickets Click HERE.
