Van Peebles’ “Unmitigated Truth”

[BSN: Theater]

Melvin van Peebles rested his sweet sweet back, looming large, against the backdrop of the tiny Parker Theatre within the greater Algonquin Theatre, located at 123 East 24th Street, in Manhattan.

He continues his baadasssss song via his latest play “Unmitigated Truth: Life, A Lavatory, Loves, and Ladies.”  

Via melody and verse and the musical talents of William “Spaceman” Patterson, as well as the equally sweet refrains of Carmen Barika, the cast carries off this parody of love, amusing tales, and the great zampoogie of life, at least until July 1st that is.

Melvin’s tales present an assortment of characters which includes Old Brother, Sweet Lucy, Lily, and Sloppy 2 to name a few.  He goes from the lavatory to the electric chair, from lust to love and from the mean streets to his mother’s arms just chippin away at life, one adventure at a time.

The audience play the bystander to Van Peebles antics as he travels down the highway of his life, a complicated life filled with adventures and misadventures that exposes the triumphs of the human endeavor and the seedier side of human nature.

Whatever the Unmitigated Truth is, it can be found via a life-time filled with lessons and experiences, knocks and taps, laughs and tears. Truth can sometimes be found in a lavatory as one tries to clean up the mess they made of it.  It can be found aboard a ship, or via the means streets and even within the gentle caress of a woman’s arms.  According to van Peebles we are all simply adrift in the currents of life letting it pull us along via the mind streams of our own perception.

“Unmitigated Truth: Life, a Lavatory, Loves and Ladies,” is running Sunday through Wednesday each week until Wednesday, July 1st.  For information about the play visit www.algonquintheater.org or call 212-868-4444.  The show starts at 8PM.  Make sure you catch it!