Fly
by Joseph L. Edwards
Directed by Joseph L. Edwards
The Black Rep
February 17, 2024
Joseph L. Edwards
Photo by Keshon Campbell
The Black Rep
Fly, currently running at the Black Rep, is a one-man show in several senses of the term, featuring a solo performance by its writer, who also directed. This is Joseph L. Edwards’ vision, and it’s a compelling look into one Black man’s reflections, and response to the wider experience of being Black in America. It also features some striking production design and clever effects that add to the overall theatrical sensibility of the story.
It’s a short play, running at about 80 minutes, and although Edwards is the sole performer, leading figure “Fly” Lewis isn’t the only character in the show, as Edwards plays a variety of roles as Fly tells his story on a rooftop in Brooklyn, awaiting a celestial event that’s supposed to happen later that night. As Fly tells his own story of growing up, and of living his life in New York City, he reflects on his own struggles as well as those of people he has known–such as family members and his childhood best friend–and people he meets. There are also voiceovers of news broadcasts and reactions of neigbhors in his building, as Fly prepares a sort of shrine as he readies himself for the transformation that he expects to happen as the cosmic event arrives.
This is an intensely personal piece, as Edwards portrays through a series of distinctive characters the everyday aspirations of Black people, as well as the obvious and more subtle injustices they face in society, and particularly in America. There’s a good deal of humor here, but also some real moments of poignancy and tragedy, all portrayed in with vivid energy by Edwards, who gives a remarkably affecting performance, showing the presence and charisma that gives this play its dramatic center, playing a whole cast of characters with convincing energy.
The technical aspects of the play are also impressive. No designers are credited in the program , but the co-technical directors are Christian Kitchens and Kaylie Carpenter. The overall look and atmosphere of a Brooklyn rooftop is impressively realized, with all the varied objects that Fly produces to contribute to his shrine, adding depth to the overall story.
This is a show Edwards has performed in many different places throughout the years, and the reason for its longevity is fairly clear. Fly is at once a highly individualized story and a depiction of a more universal quest for hope in a difficult world. It’s a timely, vividly portrayed story with a strong central performance.
The Black Rep is presenting Fly at Washington University’s Hotchner Theatre until March 10, 2024
Leave a Reply