Review: BE A LION at Booth Playhouse

“There’s no place like home!”  “There is no place like home!”  The Blumenthal Performing Arts Center’s Booth Playhouse, in Charlotte, NC, was “home” to the epic performance of Be A Lion, an original and innovative spin-off (relatively speaking) of The Wizard of Oz and The Wiz. Penned by multi-award-winning playwright, director, and producer Rory D. Sheriff, this musical answers several imaginative questions: What happened to Oz after The Wiz floated away in his hot-air balloon?  What happened to the “lifestyles” of the citizens of Oz?  Who became the “head honcho in charge” to rule over the now lawless city? 

The playwright seeks to restore order by appointing the formerly known “Cowardly Lion” as ruler of Oz.  There is only one problem, the Wicked Witch of the West, Evilene, had a daughter with Cheetah (Rae Styles), one of the flying monkeys, who’s on a revenge mission to avenge the murder of her mother by killing the alleged culprits: The Tin Man (Graham Williams), The Scarecrow (Clay Stephenson), The Lion (Tim Bradley) and Dorothy (Kina Thompson). 

The adventure begins as The Lion tries to recruit his friends, the Tin Man and Scarecrow, to help him reclaim order. Along the way, he is accompanied by his loyal mouse friend, Miles (Nasha Shandri). Having seen several iterations of Be A Lion dating back to its debut at the Duke Energy Theater, formerly located at Spirit Square, I must confess a personal preference: the role of Miles resonates more deeply for me when performed by a male actor. In my opinion, the alpha-male camaraderie/unprecedented friendship between a lion and a mouse simply strikes a different chord. This is not to say that Nasha Shandri did not excel—because she absolutely did. Her stellar performances as the lead actor in Toni Stone and as Mattie in August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (a role for which she won the Metrolina Theatre Association's Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor – Female) prove her powerhouse talent. My comment is solely about character dynamics, not capability. Additionally, the contrasting Jamaican and British dialects between the two female characters (Miles and Ladawn) occasionally clashed, pulling focus from the captivating Rastafarian energy brought by the lioness, Ladawn (K. Alana Jones).

Speaking of Ladawn, the lion’s love interest that he meets on his journey to the Emerald City, entrance gives “big-ups” to the Caribbean/West Indian culture, which adds a distinct “magic” to the production.  She definitely brings spicy fire and electricity with K. Alana effortlessly nailing the role.  And the twist? A vegan lioness! A clever, delightful spin straight from the imagination of Rory D. Sheriff.

Before I dive deeper into this review, let’s discuss the story behind the story concerning the actor that portrayed Damneesha (Chiletta Marie).  Due to an unforeseen replacement of an actor two days before the production, Chiletta (known as Chi), who is currently the Production Manager of BNS Productions, stepped in the role of Damneesha, the Wicked Witch of the West’s daughter.  Now, I am personally familiar with Chi’s acting talents because I cast her as the lead actor, Adult Bertrina, on a project I was working on as the producer at the time, No Sad Story.  But in this role of Damneesha…she knocked the BALL OUT OF THE PARK.  It is unbelievable that she learned and aced this role with only two days of rehearsal/preparation.  She was PHENOMENAL.  Not only is she an organized “boss” behind the stage, she captivated the audience on the stage as well.  Shine, my sister, shine!

There were several new actors in this running of Be A Lion (kudos to you all), but I want to highlight the electrifying energy that The Wiz (PJ Barnes), exemplified as he opened and closed the performance. The Wiz drew a site map of the overall production that made it easy to navigate.  Kudos to the Costume Designer as well because his emerald green outfit was “tight”. 

As far as "behind the scenes" roles that laid the foundation and technical aspects of Be A Lion…the digital backdrop projections were crisp, appropriate, and visually immersive.  The costumes were magnificent and added an extra flair to enhance the storyline.  The instrumentals, performed by one of the greatest keyboard players in the metro Charlotte area, Rob Bowser, was in-sync and melodious.  The singers/soloists were sensational.  I really enjoyed the solos by the characters:   K. Alana Jones (Ladawn), Clay Stephenson (The Scarecrow – Good Thing Going On), and the duets between Tim Bradley (The Lion) and K. Alana Jones (Ladawn).

In conclusion, Be A Lion undoubtedly established itself as a great stand-alone musical, although the storyline is similar to the popular classics, The Wizard of Oz and the Broadway musical, The Wiz.  Rory, I know that initially you pitched Be A Lion to some New York film producers/investors who told you “no”.  However, I truly can visualize Be A Lion on the big screen and then as a yearly televised classic for Black and Brown people that will be viewed over and over again. “No Doesn’t Mean Never!”  As that old adage states, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again!”  Looking forward to continuously following the progress of this fantastic adventure production filled with excitement and electrifying scenes. 

For More Information On BNS Productions, Visit Website https://www.bnsproductions.org/

Charlotte Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. 1776 (Belmont Abbey College)

7.4% of votes

2. THE COLOR PURPLE REVIVAL (Little Theater of Gastonia)

7.1% of votes

3. CABARET (Little Theater of Gastonia)

6.7% of votes

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