Review: P.NOKIO: A HIP-HOP MUSICAL at Imagination Stage

P.Nokio: A Hip-Hop Musical, is a show that centers around family, creativity, and growing up in a crazy world. The musical is an adaption of the classic Pinocchio tale, though instead of puppets and doll-makers, the piece follows P.Nokio, a video game character come to life, and his programmer father, G. Petto.

The musical starts with one of the main characters, G. Petto (played by Frank Britton), welcoming the audience to his apartment in Hip-Hopia, a city embedded in the culture of rap, rhythm, and rhyming. We learn the premise of this fast-paced land, and how artists must sell their creations to the autocratic Machine Master (played by Shubhangi Kuchibhotla) for their livelihood.

G. Petto is sure his latest creation, a video-game character named P. Nokio (played by Tre'mon Kentrell Mills) will please and impress the Machine Master. However, things turn awry when P. Nokio jumps from the screen and into the real world, leaving G. Petto with nothing to show off.

This is where the first themes of the show are introduced. Commentary on capitalism and the way it treats creatives manifests itself in the artist-boss dynamic of the show. The Machine Master lectures G. Petto on the nature of creation- discouraging him from creating anything original, and suggesting "copy and pasting" whatever is most profitable. She gives him 30 minutes to come up with something new for her, or else he will be banished to the distasteful "Disco-Land."

With the Machine Master and her Crony (played by Brendon Schaefer) gone, G. Petto and P.Nokio are able to celebrate the miracle of P.Nokio's inception, and explore their new father-son relationship. This father-son number sets up how audience interaction works for the show. The viewer is invited to participate in the song (and the rest of the show) a la callback, i.e "when I say father, you say son." We also witness at this time the Graffiti Fairy (played by Alana Sherri), a magic being who is responsible for making P.Nokio sentient.

The clearest directorial choices are made with the aforementioned audience participation, and Graffiti Fairy. Tony Thomas sets up a way to keep a potentially antsy audience engaged, and forever tease the engagement of the fairy, who seems to always be watching just around the corner. Thomas, who is also the show's choreographer, provided the fairy with an at times beautiful and at times humorous exit and entrance dance that was a hit with the opening audience.

The audience learns how fun and important a son is to his father (and vice versa), before P.Nokio can go off on his own, and the meat of the show begins. In order to fit into this exciting new world, and become a real boy (and not a video game character) P.Nokio must go to the "old school," where the kids of Hip-Hopia learn how to rap and rhyme.

P.Nokio's journey starts with a literal, proverbial, and personified fork in the road (also Brendon Schaefer). P.Nokio has the option to head to the Old School, and listen to his father, or, go in the exciting direction of "Fun." After some deliberation, and advice from the Fork, P.Nokio decides to go down the enticing road on the way to Fun.

This scene, while being a tad drawn out, is a good representation of the coming responsibility of the targeted age group, and on a grander scale, the age-old decision of following convention. By watching the naive P.Nokio make some impulsive decisions and get into some trouble down the road with the nefarious Fox (also Brendan Schaefer), and Cat (also Shubhangi Kuchibhotla), we learn about the consequences of actions, but more importantly, how to forgive ourselves for them.

After dealing with the Fox and Cat (who sport some of the most fun costumes in the show) and their schemes, P.Nokio gets back on track to old school, only to learn that the Machine Master and her Crony have taken G. Petto to the Machine. P. Nokio rushes to save his father.

The aesthetic of the Machine (and its Master) is out of a Steampunk world, and starkly contrasts with the colorful and soft world of Hip-Hopia. The image of the neon P.Nokio slamming on the brown-beige wall of the Machine is a memorable one.

After a brief detour, playing some games, becoming a donkey, and learning about dedication, P.Nokio is finally able to get into the Machine and confront the Machine Master. After he failed to produce new content for her, the Machine Master took G. Petto and intended to digitize him. Using an important lesson G. Petto taught him, P.Nokio uses the power of his rhyming to free his father, and push the villains into their strange experiment, leaving them to an unknown fate.

This was a semi-bold choice and one that can be appreciated. Most contemporary children's media offers some sort of mercy or reconciliation for the antagonist, and while that is usually a good option, it is nice to give younger minds a nuanced spectrum of ideas when it comes to justice.

While the term "kid's play" is a bit reductive, this is a play targeted at audiences age 5-11, so fittingly, a bit of didacticism is to be expected. The themes are produced in a way that younger theatergoers can grasp, but without condescension. The pace at times could be a bit sporadic and jarring, however, everything moves quickly enough for it not to be distracting, and the timing otherwise (comedic, musical, etc) was meticulous.

All the performances in the show are incredibly animated and captivating, particularly for children. Many a cheeky look from P.Nokio or one of Schaefer's characters buttoned a scene, or elicited a giggle from the audience. However, whenever Shubhangi Kuchibhotla took the stage in one of her many characters, the room became particularly electric. Her performance as the Machine Master was deft, and captivated the audience, giving even the older viewers a good chuckle or two.

The visual aesthetic of the show was charged and consistent. An '80s (and '90s) neon hip-hop dreamscape covered the stage from Max Doolittle's lights, to Shartoya Jn.Baptiste's set. Particularly interesting facets were the fireman's pole, which excited the audience whenever an actor used it, and the projector/ sliding door, which, though simple, worked to flesh out the world of play.

The imagery translates onto clothing with Ashlynne Ludwig's costume design. Many of the garments (particularly P.Nokio's pieces) evoked the "old school" hip-hop imagery that still lingers in today's popular culture. The jackets he wears throughout the show feature a graffiti style "P." which is a fun detail, and points to the more obvious dress of the Graffiti Fairy. While her loud and busy dress and jacket translate the actor's movement well, things get perhaps a bit much when it comes to her wig, which while fitting, is a bit distracting.

The music in the show was apt for this type of performance. The songs were a little shorter than regular musicals, to keep the attention of the younger audience, and the rhymes were at times a little slowed down, for the same reason. It should be noted that the lyrics and music are original, from musician and playwright Psalmayenne 24, and producer Nick "the 1da" Hernandez.

The show does a good job of offering a lot. A lot to look at, a lot to listen to, a lot for the audience to ponder, and a lot to laugh at. While guilty of meandering at times, the show is polished, and at an hour and ten minutes with no intermission, it is perfect to give the little ones an arc, a lesson, and keep them entertained. It explores what it means to be an artist, a son, and a small person in a great big world.

Imagination Stage's production of P.Nokio: A Hip-Hop Musical runs through March 27th, and is best suited for ages 5-11. Tickets and more information on the production are available on Imagination Stage's website at https://imaginationstage.org/on-our-stages/p-nokio-a-hip-hop-musical/

Photo Credit: Margot Schulman