Review: NEW JACK CITY LIVE AT THE NATIONAL THEATRE at The National Theatre

Fans of the 1991 film New Jack City, rejoice! Je'Caryous Johnson, in collaboration with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, has brought his touring stage adaptation of the Studio's classic film back to Washington DC's National Theatre. From now until Sunday, February 19th, fans of the film (and newcomers to the story) can experience the tale of the Cash Money Brothers as they rise from the gritty streets of Harlem in the early 1990s to drug kingpins controlling an empire.

Led by notable cast members including the iconic Naughty By Nature frontman, Treach (Nino Brown), legendary rapper Big Daddy Kane (Stone), and TV's All of Us star Flex Alexander (Pookie), New Jack City Live delivers a fresh reproduction of the popular 90s film. And, while nearly all of the film's original stars are absent (sorry Wesley Snipes and Chris Rock fans), audiences will be delighted to see Allen Payne reprising his role of "Gee Money" some 30+ years later. Spoiler: he still brings a fresh energy to the role despite having first taken it on decades ago.

Though the cast is strong, the play is not quite a seamless transition from screen to stage. According to a press release, New Jack City Live marks Je'Caryous Johnson's third adaptation of a 'legendary urban hit movie into a stage play.' One would think this would make Johnson all too aware then of the challenges that come with adapting a film into a stage play. However, not all of the film's plot points and action translate well and you find yourself wishing for that 'movie magic.'

Films, of course, have the luxury of a seemingly infinite amount of tools to help tell the story from on-site locations, larger casts, much larger budgets, and several other factors. Capturing that same energy on stage requires a delicate balance, oftentimes asking producers and creatives to scale back the production to make it just as effective on stage. We have so many examples of show after show failing to do this in the recent past. While New Jack City Live can absolutely distinguish itself as superior to many of these abject failures, it's still not immune from all pitfalls of a stage adaptation.

For example, it is undeniably difficult to capture the tension and fast-paced action of a shootout when relying on prop guns, stage combat, and sound cues. Unfortunately, it's the sound that betrayed the action the most during the Thursday night performance. Along with some ill-timed microphone issues, some sound effects were so out-of-sync, they produced an unintentional comedic effect during one of the play's more climactic moments. Regardless, the themes of family, loyalty, greed and the pitfalls of winning at all costs manage to shine through to make for an overall enjoyable evening. In New Jack City Live's case, a good story covers a lot of mistakes.

When the play begins, we're introduced to our two main anti-heros, Nino (Treach) and Gee Money (Payne), who are known as "the Cash Money Brothers." They're street criminals on the streets of Harlem who ascend to the level of kingpins once they begin to sell the highly addictive crack cocaine, or "crack" for short. They quickly set up their operation in an old housing project and monopolize the market in Manhattan leading to massive profits and the ire of the Italian mafia, a key rival in the drug game. It's here where we meet the Cash Money Brother's associates, including characters played by a feisty Torrei Hart and an understated Landon Moss. However, it's the stuttering character portrayed by Vincent M. Ward that stands out the most thanks to some great comedic chops and a more well-defined story arc compared to his co-stars.

As with most tales of drug kingpins, there's an adversarial cop chasing after them. New Jack City Live's 5-0 comes in the form of two cops: one a black native of Harlem (played by a superb Gary Dourdan) and a white cop from the Lower East Side. I will note here that a full cast list was not made available at the time of this writing, so unfortunately, some performances are left uncredited. Assigned to the case by their police chief (played by Big Daddy Kane), the two cops make an unlikely pair and are given the challenge of infiltrating the CMB drug operation. With the help of a local reformed drug addict known as Pookie (Flex Alexander), they eventually infiltrate the operation with Pookie gaining the trust of the CMB leaders. Alexander's performance as Pookie is one of the best of the evening, and the audience can't help but root for his journey through rehabilitation.

Unfortunately for the cops, the CMB evades the initial drug bust attempt, which forces law enforcement to dream up other ways to infiltrate the rapidly rising and dangerous operation. The two cops finally make a breakthrough by exploiting the fraying relationship between Nino and Gee Money, and a faux side deal/set-up between Gee Money and a Dominican drug gang eventually becomes the beginning of the end for the CMB. The betrayal of Nino leads to the demise of Gee Money, and soon, the CMB as a whole.

However, Nino must stand trial and face accountability for the crimes he's committed and the lives he's destroyed. Always the hustler, Nino manipulates and talks his way into a lesser sentence. But don't worry - this isn't a tale of the villain coming out on top. Fans of the film know the ending, but we will avoid spoilers here for the uninitiated.

Known for his outstanding career as a rap artist, Treach has the chops to fully inhabit Nino and capture the many facets of his complicated character. It's a skillful performance that shows us the compassion of Nino while also making us believe the violence, rage, and anger as well. He teams well with Claudette Ortiz, who plays his wife to perfection. Gary Dourdan's Scotty is a multi-layered performance that is equally superb as well. They're well supported by a versatile and talented ensemble who each portray a number of roles throughout and serve as a kind of Greek chorus throughout.

New Jack City Live draws its strength from strong original source material but is certainly not free from flaws. Still, audiences will delight in the captivating performances and familiar music strewn throughout. You don't have to be a fan of the film to enjoy yourself at the National during the run, but it certainly won't hurt the experience.

New Jack City Live is adapted, directed, and produced by Je'Caryous Johnson. It was co-directed by Johnson J. Kyle with Manzay Reid Clarke serving as Associate Director. The creative team includes Jeremy Green (Creative Director/Choreographer), Chris Lane (Sound Designer/Sound Effects), Keith Jackson (Set Designer), Donyell "DMajor" Boynton (Music Director), Will Stone (Music Composer & Vocal Director), and Jesse Harris (Costume Designer).

The show runs until Sunday, February 19th at DC's National Theatre. Run time is approximately 2 hours and 30 mins.

Top Photo: Nino Brown (Treach) and his associates are celebrating the New Year in grand fashion. Photo by Martin Almgren.

Bottom Left Photo: Allen Payne in the role of Gee Money, rolling the dice at a game of craps on the street corner. Photo by Martin Almgren.

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