Review: BARBECUE at Portland Playhouse

BARBECUE opens with James T. (played by Darius Pierce), dressed full redneck, strolling into a park, answering a phone call from his sister, and cracking a beer. We aren't told the time of day, but it sure seems like morning. By the time he's off the phone, he's on his second beer and we've learned that the family -- which is white -- is staging an intervention for their sister Barbara, whose drug-fueled antics have earned her the nickname Zippity Boom. As the other siblings arrive, you start to doubt how effective the whole endeavor will be -- Barbara certainly isn't the only one with a drug problem, and none of them seems particularly well-equipped for success in life. A short time into this mini-reunion, the lights flash, a Black family replaces the white family, and the scene continues.

That's officially all I can tell you about Robert O'Hara's deliciously satirical play now running at Portland Playhouse. The show has more layers and plot twists than a collection of O. Henry short stories. As it unfolds, you realize that the constantly changing characters and plot points reveal some very uncomfortable truths, among them the fact that a person's race determines the types of stories we're willing to believe about them.

O'Hara has a gift for plays that are laugh-out-loud funny while also shining a big bright spotlight on things we'd rather keep hidden. In BARBECUE, the white family and the Black family are in the exact same situation, but -- because of how racism is so deeply ingrained in how we perceive the world -- it just feels different. And O'Hara isn't content to let us just sit and quietly squirm in that knowledge. He brings our hypocrisy front and center, calls it out, and forces us to confront it.

Patdro Harris's direction is fantastic. It's so over the top (at times almost cartoonish) that you let your guard down, allowing the point to sneak in. It's like Barbara's mood swings -- first you're laughing and it's all Zippity and then reality hits like Boom! The ensemble as a whole kills it, especially Ithica Tell, who gives side-eye like no one's business; Diane Kondrat, who has mastered the I-can't-believe-we're-related look; and Cycerli Ash, who is radiant as ever.

It took me three tries to see BARBECUE -- the first night I had tickets I got a flat tire on the way to the show, the second a power outage forced a cancelation, and the third I finally made it in. I hope you don't encounter similar obstacles, but if you do, don't give up -- it's worth it!!

BARBECUE runs through November 21. More details and tickets here: https://portlandplayhouse.org/shows-events/barbecue/

Photo credit: Shawnte Sims

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