Just like its namesake, EPAC's Chicken & Biscuits is warm, appealing, and full of flavor. This refreshing new comedy by Douglas Lyons is fun. This show is steeped in the rhythms, tone, and tropes of the great Black sitcoms of the 1970's and 80's. Many of the characters would be familiar to the fans of those great shows. Ashley Baker brings the self-absorbed attitude like Jackee' from 222. Kimora Greggs channels Dee from What's Happening!! as a little girl with a big attitude. Finally, Sean Caldwell might as well be one of George Jefferson's neighbors since he plays the awkward, uncool white guy so well.
The plot deals with two very different sisters (Ashley Baker and Raquel Richardson) and their coming to terms at their father's funeral. Baker and Richardson are both enjoyable in their performances and have great chemistry. Reji Woods plays the minister who is also the husband of one of the sisters. His second act sermon brought great electricity to the show.
Things take a turn halfway through the show when many of the characters learn of an illegitimate daughter of the deceased (Beatrice Levicoff). Tempers flare, words are said, and probably a few fists are thrown. Further complications arise among the sisters' children including coming out of the closet, relationship difficulties, and depression.
Director, Kellie C. Turner gets good performances from her actors. She also knows what's funny. I did have some confusion about staging, which sometimes made it difficult to determine where a scene is set. For example, early on, back-to-back scenes are identically set downstage center on a couch. It took a long while for me to realize that these two scenes were not set in the same place. The backdrop of the church also befuddled me because I couldn't always tell when the action was taking place inside or outside of the building. However, these are minor criticisms when the acting is this strong.
Chicken & Biscuits plays now through September 14.
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