2010 Black History Month

Oakland, California. In a city where where pimpin' has been glamorized since the classic blaxploitation film, "The Mack" to rapper Too Short, comedian Don Reed's one man play "East 14th: Tales of a Reluctant Player" brings a refreshing, youthful message to the world's so-called, "oldest profession." It just so happens to be a tale wrapped up inside platforms, bell bottoms, a cape and a sunroof Cadillac jamming soulful tunes. "East 14th" is a funky, biographical, one-man play about Reed's journey through puberty, rocked by conflicting lessons, lifestyles and leaders. Set in 1970s Oakland, the performance is a nostalgic look back at a bygone era through the eyes of a child, all grown up. As a young teen, Reed's mother remarries a strict man who belongs "to the religion that rhymes with 'tahovah's sitnesses.'" "You know, the religion where they knock on your door at seven in the morning," Reed jokes. He chronicles the journey from his stepfather's home--straightlaced, no holiday or birthday celebrations (and certainly no nookie)--to moving into the home of his father, who just so happens to be a pimp. "I just thought he was really into hats," Reed said. And when he interrupts some women paying his father, he jokes, "I thought they were his friends. I didn't know I was walking into an employees' meeting." Reed hilariously recounts his first sexual experiences and the nervousness that came with it. He also once dated a prostitute without knowing it. Two other major influences besides his father(s) are Reed's older brothers, Darrel and Tony. Darrel is a pontificating-to-the-point-of-nearly-stuttering ladies' man who goes on to work at a beauty salon for unhindered access to women. Tony is Reed's "über gay" older brother with a unmatched self-defense arsenal. Troutmouth, a jive, fish-faced character who exaggerates his pimpish stature, serves as an example of who not to be. The funniest part of Reed's performance involves an summertime incident where Reed, heading out to go rollerblading at Lake Merritt, runs out of sheen for his "Lord Jesus Perm." So he decides to use butter as a substitute. The moral climax of the play comes when Troutmouth tries to kick game to Reed on entering the pimping profession. Reed's father returns home and confronts Troutmouth. He points to Reed's public speaking trophies from Chabot College, knowing that a great future of public speaking lay ahead. Despite his father's faults--being illiterate, or being engaged in what many consider to be an immoral profession-he encourages Reed and his other children to embrace themselves. But Reed's life is full of surprises. A jail-bound drug dealer turns down Reed's job application, his player brother gives a wad of cash to a homeless woman and his gay brother beats up everybody. Reed deftly tells his story, impersonating about a dozen characters, while remaining true to their individual contributions to his growth as a man. His unconventional upbringing becomes a heartwarming and hilarious tale about a boy finding his way to manhood. The set's simplicity keeps you focused on Reed as he shifts from character to character. A wall full of brim hats sits behind an East 14th street sign. He alternates between a red leather seat and a simple stool, highlighting his conflict, all under the watchful eye of a disco ball. The play represented a homecoming of sorts for Reed. After screening off-Broadway and at the Marsh in San Francisco last year, he was able to bring East 14th, and some 1970s flare back to Oakland. "East 14th is more than a street, it's a path, a journey towards my own self-discovery," Reed said. Can you dig it? It can be dug by me. This review originally appeared in the Laney Tower newspaper.