Jon Gentry's "Black Bastard" Leaves Audience Screaming for More
Friday, July 12th, Los Angeles, CA
written by Entertainment Editor, Dan Ruth
I was lucky enough to attend Black Bastard in a sold-out encore from the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Many solo artists craft their story as they go along, cleverly building each turn, for good or bad, overcoming or accepting each discovery as it comes at them, allowing their audience to experience each discovery in real time. Jon Gentry’s Black Bastard is such a performance, except for one important difference; he makes it clear from the very start that his challenges are many and they stand before him, completely blocking his path, and that overcoming them would seem absolutely insurmountable, unless of course, you’re Jon Gentry. It’s as if Gentry is standing facing his future as a wall that cannot be hurdled, but the joy of watching Gentry perform, is that he uses both the power of his mind and his audience as support, preparing for the challenge and leaving said audience screaming for more.
As a child, Gentry armed himself with the powers of words and language, so while other kids might have been running for the ice cream truck, Gentry was running to the scholastic book van. Coping with having two dads and not knowing either of them well, he keeps close to his mother and places his faith in education. Gentry “the writer,” loves language and to call him a wordsmith would be an understatement. While Gentry is highly intelligent, this show is more joyous than preachy. As a kind of urban belletrist, he chooses to “journal his rage on the page,” making choices based not necessarily on intelligence, but on instinct, resulting in a show that is truly inspired. His script is so lean and shaped so cleverly that it seems to write itself, allowing us to be completely immersed in his performance. Speaking of Jon Gentry “the performer,” he is, in a word, fearless. Along with director, Shinelle Azoroh, they have crafted a highly imagined, entertaining world, which is brutally clever; wherein, he is free to use nearly everything around him as props and scenery. His character choices are well wrought and defined, his use of costumes is beyond skillful, and his use of sound design and his own sound effects, whether it’s an AOL sign-in, or the loving putter and voice of his first car, are often screamingly funny. Black Bastard is often identifiable along the lines of determination and will, breaking down walls of separation and identity, and where it’s not, it rises above with, once again, the audience joining in and rejoicing with every victory Gentry experiences along the way. If there ever was a solo show that “takes off” and keeps it’s audience in the air for the whole show, this is it. We’re up there with him as he clears the hurdle of that insurmountable wall, and that uplift stays with us long after the show is over. Don’t miss your chance to be in the audience and bear witness to this truly joyous and immersive experience. Jon Gentry truly owns himself, he stands tall as an inspiration to the black and queer community and to humanity. Gentry isn't just fearless, he's fierce.
While Black Bastard is noted by Gentry as a “work in progress,” and his reintroduction to the world, we are all more than ready for a second helping. On a side note, as the festival comes to a close for 2024, I am reminded that most of the incredible solo shows I’ve seen, and indeed my own work as a solo performer, are deeply, deeply rooted in the world of high school speech and debate, so I applaud this show for it’s championing of education and creativity. Black Bastard continues for another encore on Sunday, August 4th at 5pm at Asylum @ Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre, 5636 Melrose Ave.
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