Review Roundup: Arinzé Kene's MISTY Opens at The Shed

The Shed is presenting the US premiere of Misty, a genre-defying play written by and starring Olivier Award-nominee Arinzé Kene (West End productions of Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical, Death of a Salesman, Girl from the North Country, The Lion King, One Night in Miami) in his US stage debut and directed by Omar Elerian (NASSIM, Two Palestinians Go Dogging, The Chairs). The production runs through April 2 in The Shed's intimate Griffin Theater.

Fusing live music, spoken word, and absurdist comedy, Misty is an exhilarating journey through a city in flux, transporting audiences to the streets of gentrifying London in an exploration of the pressures and expectations that come with being an artist in our time. In a performance that is part poem, part concert, part confession, Kene self-consciously wrestles with cultural representation and identity politics as they pertain to a new play he has been commissioned to write. This riveting production is accompanied by a pulsating original score performed by a live band and composed by Arinzé Kene, Shiloh Coke and Adrian McLeod.

See what the critics are saying...

Melissa Rose Bernardo, New York Stage Review: Apropos a subversive piece of performance art, the design for Misty is top-tier, particularly Daniel Denton’s video design, which transforms the back walls into arresting color-drenched canvases. And as far as what we think of his show-if we don’t like it, Kene has something to say about that. No spoilers, though. The freestyle is too good to ruin.

David Finkle, New York Stage Review: What can I say? Misty may not pay off when viewed from one angle but viewed from another – Omar Elerian directing and with contributions from Godwin and Lee as music coordinators and non-stop sound designer Elena Peña – Misty pays off like a bright orange Happy Birthday balloon.

Allison Considine, New York Theatre Guide: The play is open to interpretation, and there are some unanswered questions. The term 'misty' might refer to the slang word for crack cocaine, or maybe it describes the nebulous, genre-bending plot or the smoggy smoke effects. Perhaps it refers to the misty-eyed Kene, taking a bow to conclude his tour de force performance. There are many ways to describe the show, and it reaches Kene’s objective: It doesn’t tick boxes of what a play about a Black man should look like, or what any play should look like, for that matter. Misty creates a new rubric.

Thom Geier, The Wrap: When he dives fully into the plight of displaced Black men, his ideas get squishy and as hard to grasp as a deflating balloon. We never really understand the forces motivating his childhood friend Lucas, whose behavior after a scuffle on a night bus becomes increasingly criminal (and, frankly, indefensible).

Brian Scott Lipton, Theater Pizzazz: Kene ultimately proves to be one of the most charismatic (and, yes, physically buff) performers to grace a New York stage in years. And soon enough, the subject of his strange monologue will be revealed—one many of us can relate to—as will its overall part in this bracing play about artistic expectations and the freedom to tell the story you choose.

Average Rating: 70.0%

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