ColorStruck

See it if If you do not care about a well written play. This show misses the mark.

Don't see it if If you want to see a good play or one that factually deals with race relations.

See it if you'd like to see stand-up comedy used to express what being a black man in the US has been like for the past half century.

Don't see it if you're looking for a fully formed play.

Also Donald E. Lacy Jr. is an enormously engaging performer & storyteller. The story he tells is his own as a black man who participated in the activism that characterized the Black Power movement of the late 1960s & 70s & has lived into his 60s. But that story resonates deeply with the social struggles of his time as well. Lacy’s solo show starts out like stand-up comedy, but expands to a consciousness-raising political lecture & finally a powerful call for racial unity against the forces in the US today that would profit from fueling racial division. The eloquent slide show projected behind the performer throughout the performance makes for a powerful photographic record, both personal & social, of the history of black people in the US. It’s the only set Lacy needs.... Read more Read less

See it if you like comedy with a message. This is a stellar performance using many projected images to define the need for dialogue on "race" issues.

Don't see it if you do not enjoy one-person performances even though this one is brought alive with many individuals mentioned and projected.

See it if Sharing the Africans-American experiences in Oakland CA

Don't see it if If you are a Trumpsters!

See it if You're interested in black U.S. history from a personal viewpoint. This solo show isn't shy in expressing a viewpoint that should be heard.

Don't see it if You can't tolerate criticism of right wing politics.

See it if You want to see a biopic and a social commentary on racism. Revealing on many points that we still have a ways to go. Great show to see

Don't see it if You do not like one man shows

See it if you'd like to see the serious subject of institutional racism dealt with in a humorous but intelligent manner

Don't see it if you don't like one man shows, especially those that may provoke you

See it if You’re interested in African American culture and problems

Don't see it if You’re sensitive to some opinions that seem insulting to white people

See it if you are interested in history from a personal viewpoint of a black kid/man growing up/living in Oakland, CA backed up by great projections.

Don't see it if you are not interested in how black people were treated in the 60s, 70s etc. and unfortunately too often are still treated in 2019.

Also Very important lesson for our unfortunately more and more divided times: there is only one race: the human race!!... Read more Read less

See it if Strong, one-man performance. Compassionate, but with a specific political message: pro-reparations.

Don't see it if One audience member, probably pro-Trump, walked out. In general, the apparently anti-Trump audience gave the show a rousing reception.

See it if you enjoy one-person shows tackling important social issues in a humors, thoughtful and engaging way. Including heartfelt, personal stories.

Don't see it if you don't enjoy one-person shows or you are conservative and won't appreciate an open, explicit exploration of racism in the US.

See it if You’re interested in an inside look at an experience of a person of color dealing with race in America. Times have not drastically changed

Don't see it if you are comfortable with how you see race relations and are not interested in the historical elements in relation to current events.

Also The show described experiences to which I’m sure a lot of people of color can relate, especially if they were around in the 1950s or 1960s and recognize having been in some of the same situations described. Younger people might not fully understand the impact of events that happened before they were born and how those events shaped the Rolf their in today, but I related well to the stories told. And the projected images really helped to illustrate the points. Seeing these images, both good and bad, added to the production. If you aren’t a person of color but attend this performance, I don’t think it would make you feel uncomfortable. This was not a finger-pointing production. But if you are a staunch conservative and happy with how all ethnicities are treated in America, you might feel uncomfortable. But, more likely, you wouldn’t choose this topic to attend in the first place.... Read more Read less

See it if you like plays that take on social issues and political issues.

Don't see it if you don't like plays about social and political issues

See it if you at looking for a historic, if totally negative, view of black-white societal relations in America.

Don't see it if you are looking for any optimism about, or suggestions for improving, race relations in America now, or an even-handed view of the past.

Also The show ends with a very negative series of slides. The show begins with a long anti-Trump rant that ignores the weak race-related track record of the other candidate for president and her husband (e.g., https://www.cnbc.com/2016/11/11/why-hillary-clinton-couldnt-rally-the-black-vote-commentary.html ""Former President Bill Clinton's crime bill resulted in more blacks being sent to prison for non-violent crimes than during any other president's administration in our nation's history. ... If there is one thing that has stripped underserved black communities of opportunity, it is the unwarranted incarnation of non-violent black men and women that has left hundreds of thousands of families without their fathers or mothers. ... Clinton also went on to enforce mandatory minimum punishment laws ... the single biggest reason that the unjust imprisonment of American men and women is still the highest of any country in the world.")... Read more Read less

See it if If you have an interest about looking into racism and where we are today...

Don't see it if If you live in a bubble and are not open to all perspectives of racism in the United States

See it if Race relations in America are important to you. Tendentious historical perspective often riveting and frequently amusing. Makes one think!

Don't see it if Confronting race tensions is difficult for you. Participating in optional performance discussions is not your thing.

See it if Interested in an African American male’s perspective on what it means to be black and an American.

Don't see it if Don’t like one man plays

See it if you are interested in how race relations/history is perceived by Afro-Americans. Gets more interesting, with talk-back after show.

Don't see it if you don't like forceful opinions, a little preachy especially at beginning.

See it if you enjoy social commentary and personal stories addressing African American race issues in America

Don't see it if you're politically conservative and sensitive to race topics

Also Donald Lacy is strongest when relying on his personal experience rather than making general social commentary.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy solo performances concerning race relations in the US, addressing past and present events with limited staging, music & video.

Don't see it if You don’t enjoy one man shows & discussions about race, especially from the perspective of an African-American man. Ltd staging & effects.

See it if You enjoy comedic story telling that explores race from personal perspective in past and current tense. Comedic take on serious subject.

Don't see it if You think white males are the real victims of racism.

See it if You want a snapshot of the history of racism in the US

Don't see it if You are going to be challenged by an alternate view.