Review: TALES OF THE RESISTANCE : VOLUME 2 PERSISTANCE at SF Mime Troupe

As I reported last year, SF Mime Troupe has revived the good old days of episodic radio serials, a perfect genre for shelter in place entertainment. In the comfort of your home, you can listen to these funny, left-leaning, provocative broadcasts that allow your imaginations to soar.

In Tale of the Black Fox, we're introduced to Angelica Phenix (Velina Brown), rising star of the far-right news media. She's ambitious and spewing the correct conservative sound bites of anti-unionism, anti-socialist and anti-gay rhetoric. Dripping in irony, Sullivan's Angelica is African American. Her show "I'll Be Right Black" reinforces her view that "scarcity creates value, so therefore restrictive voting is justified."

Her boss, Brad Asteroth (Jarrion Monroe) is a chauvinist pig who sees Angelica as chocolate eye candy and couch material. These characters may have seemed like caricatures if they were not based on actual people. The absurdity had become reality unfortunately. The episode ends with a mysterious woman in tatters who's trying to tell Angelica a secret. To be continued....

The Tale of the Black FOX" features Velina Brown as Angelica Phenex, Keiko Shimosato Carreiro as Eido Kawakami, with Andre Amarotico as TV Director, Jarion Monroe as Brad Asteroth, and Michael Gene Sullivan as Narrator.

Eyeball on History is a tongue-in-cheek look back on great historical moments ala the old "We Are there" educational series that ran from 1947-57. In direct contrast to Tale of the Black Fox, we are privy to a 1966 meeting between Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale as they create the 10- point program of the Black Panther Party. Released on May 15, 1967, The Ten-Point program listed the demands of justice, education, voting rights, jobs, housing, reparations and an end to police brutality.

The Panthers were the militant wing of the civil rights era recognizing that force is sometimes necessary to effect change and equality must be taken when not given voluntarily. These two pieces reflect both the cynicism of the Right and the bold indignation of those oppressed by it. EYEBALL ON HISTORY!" features Amos Glick as Chip Banister, Michael J Asberry as Bobby Seale, and Michael Gene Sullivan as Huey P. Newton.

Music and keyboards by Daniel Savio with his band: Dylan Jennings (woodwinds), Jewell McMillon on bass, David Rokeach and Chris Lauf on percussion, Aya Rokeach on oboe. Audio engineering & sound design by Taylor Gonzalez. Imagine yourselves in the dark, lying by the radio feeding your thoughts and imagination. Fun stuff from San Francisco's longstanding social activist theatre companies.

Go to sfmt.org for streaming details.