You may be pleased to hear that theatrical boxing is no longer limited to "Rocky Balboa" (2006) or "Million Dollar Baby" (2004). In Company One's new show, "Six Rounds/ Six Lessons," characters throw physical and emotional punches as they try to understand their own familial dynamics.
"Six Rounds" is a blend of conventional theater, hip-hop and dance detailing the social dynamics and personal hardships of a family living in the ghetto. While the show has many good messages, they are overwhelmed by a poorly edited script and a lack of transitions.
Ace (James Milord) is young black college student, a successful boxer and the heart of his family. His wise, hard-working mother (Juanita Rodrigues) has lived a life full of disappointment. Her biggest letdown, from her own standpoint, has been her husband, Moses (Wesley Lawrence Taylor), an old jazz musician turned alcoholic who left his wife and family many years ago.
Ace was raised by his brother, Solo (Jason Bowen), who has recently gotten out of jail. Solo rides in a wheelchair, but his handicap is more than just physical. He can't get his life back together and blames Ace for sending him to prison. Both brothers are very protective of their sister, Trisha (Karimah Moreland), who is trapped in her relationship with an abusive boyfriend and is constantly fighting with Ace's white wife, Amy (Terri Deletetsky).
These characters interact on a wonderfully designed set featuring a boxing ring, the doorstep of a house and a sound board. The boxing ring allows characters to battle out their problems emotionally and physically.
These "battles" are interspersed with conventional dialogue as well as hip-hop music. The music throughout the play is atypical but appropriate, and the sound board is put to surprisingly good use by the DJ (Keith Mascoll) who doubles as a referee for the boxing ring.
The play also involves a chorus of children, who intermittently appear to ask central characters questions, reinforce a point or simply provide the audience with musical interludes. While the points they make are sometimes relevant, the kids seem much too mature for their roles.
Playwright John ADEkoje describes his work as a "tragicomic hip-hop concerto," but both tragedy and comedy are buried beneath the random, disconnected script and absence of scene changes. In "Six Rounds," characters, topics of discussion and even time can change in the blink of an eye.
While the audience is able to recreate a sequential storyline despite these rapid shifts, this style proves incapable of developing and holding mood. Emotion is lost in transition. Over and over, jokes suddenly get deathly serious or a solemn conversation is suddenly interrupted by the exuberant DJ. Points in time get switched around, and characters can change location with little or no warning. This technique might work, and even be effective, if it only happens once or twice, but after two hours, it is simply hard to follow.
The emotions in "Six Rounds" may be apt to change, but they certainly aren't lacking. Each character is faithfully portrayed. Jason Bowen, who plays Solo, is particularly impressive. His role as a drug-addicted criminal differs from the mostly Shakespearean characters he has played in the past. Karimah Moreland is a convincing and charismatic Trisha. She manages to be funny and serious interchangeably, as well as incredibly energetic throughout the show.
The cast of "Six Rounds" does a wonderful job acting, but many of the personalities they wrestle with aren't even human. "Disappointment" makes several appearances, and characters must fight with him in the boxing ring (it's a metaphor, get it?). Sometimes actors will suddenly change subjects, making a concrete issue suddenly abstract. The metaphors are so obvious that they almost distract viewers from the topics the play tries to address.
The issues that "Six Rounds" attempts to explore are ones that certainly need to be discussed. Playwright John ADEkoje obviously wants to address sexuality, family, criminal behavior and identity in the black community, but his show fails to adequately communicate with its audience.
It does clearly convey that something is wrong with the conventional idea of family, and that life in the ghetto is painful and disappointing. Instead of poignant and touching, however, these ideas are blunt and dulled by hectic emotions. Rather than becoming the groundbreaking work that it aspires to be, "Six Rounds" succeeds in being nothing more than a momentary emotional flare.
