The Incidental Racist: "Honky" at Urban Stages

Existential crises come in varied forms.

There may be medical cures for many of them.

Kid 1 and 2 ( Reynaldo Pinella and DeLance Minefee) approach Davis (Philip Callen) on a subway platform in a scene from "Honky" by Greg Kellares at Urban Stages. Photo by Ben Hider.

For Peter (Dave Droxler), being white is the major embarrassment. White guilt, straight-out racism, both white and black, all rear their ugly little heads in "Honky." As each pops up, "Honky" blows it up and shoots it down.

Here is a comedy for the post-racial age. Until that comes to pass, "Honky" uses the tropes of advertising and marketing, in which profiling is professionally de rigueur. "Honky" explodes myths and slurs in a soft sell with a hard edge.

Emilia (Arie Bianca Thompson) counsels Peter (David Droxler) in a scene from "Honky" by Greg Kellares at Urban Stages through November 17th. Photo by Ben Hider.

Advertisers target their markets by demographics of lifestyle, income, race, something many of us prefer not to have our police do. In "Honky," the product is the SkyMax basketball shoe, designed by Thomas (Anthony Gaskins.) The SkyMax in it's various iterations aims to sell to "urban" youth, "code for black," the company's president, Davis (Philip Callen) freely admits.

Andie (Danielle Faitelson) meets Thomas (Anthony Gaskins) at a SkyMax party in a scene from "Honky" by Greg Kellares at Urban Stages through November 17th. Photo by Ben Hider.

While Peter goes to Emilia (Arie Bianca Thompson) for therapy to cure his guilt over an ad he created for the shoe, her brother Thomas beds Peter's girlfriend, Andie (Danielle Faitelson) to cure his own guilt and rage. Davis goes to Dr. Driscoll (Scott Barrow) for a cure that will save his job.

Greg Kellares, the ex-ad man who wrote this intelligent and serious comedy, takes aim at some of our society's most sensitive spots. Consumerism is another of his well-chosen targets in "Honky." The cast, led by Anthony Gaskins' conflicted hero, Thomas, and Peter Callen's unapologetic Davis, as well as the superlative Arie Bianca Thompson, is all first rate. Luke Harlan's gentle touch gives tribute to the subtle perspicacity of the script he's directing.

"Honky" is an amazingly insightful look at race, marketing, advertising, stereotyping and Dostoyevsky.

The 80 seat theater will fill up fast, so please go to http://urbanstages.org/honky to learn more about "Honky."