Black! In his unfortunately titled solo show, Michael Washington Brown performs monologues purporting to demonstrate the “distinct differences” and “very definite similarity between Black people from all walks of life.” Well, just four, and all men: a music-loving African-American, a brainy Londoner, a paternal Jamaican, and a generic African, all primarily concerned with local, national, and global disunity among black people. Their musings range from provocative (can a Britisher ever feel “black enough?”) to insupportable (black people have a “natural sense of danger”). Whatever the case, they do little but hold forth during their extended, discursive speeches; they’re bundles of convictions and concerns rather than people. Brown is a graceful performer with a knack for accents, but he never lets us gets below his characters’ skin. —Justin Hayford
Sad Clown Directed and hosted by comedic improviser and psychiatric nurse Matthew Manning, this hour of inspiring personal essays, each launching subsequent improv, highlights experiences with mental illness. Manning kicks off with a classic joke, where a doctor recommends that a depressed patient see a clown, Pagliacci, who’s come to town, only to learn that the titular sad clown himself is the patient. On the night I attended, Bryson Howard, Chelsea Hunter, and Toby Yount shared stories about their struggles and triumphs over illnesses including anxiety, depression and autism, displaying vulnerability and courage rarely seen in a comedic setting. Manning says his mission is to loosen up the way we talk about mental illness, and this heartbreaking and frequently funny show takes an admirable stab at “unclogging the pipes.” —Marissa Oberlander
