{"id":356861,"date":"2024-07-14T06:10:58","date_gmt":"2024-07-14T10:10:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/?p=356861"},"modified":"2024-07-14T06:10:58","modified_gmt":"2024-07-14T10:10:58","slug":"2024-capital-fringe-review-wannabe-by-jj-johnson-3-1-2-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2024\/07\/14\/2024-capital-fringe-review-wannabe-by-jj-johnson-3-1-2-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"2024 Capital Fringe Review: ‘WANNABE’ by JJ Johnson (3 \u00bd stars)"},"content":{"rendered":"

I<\/span>t\u2019s 1981 and two young Black boys watch TV, falling in love for the first time. It\u2019s 1983 and they shoot hoops with friends, trying out rhymes larger than themselves. The \u201980s become the \u201990s, the challenges of growing up shift and multiply. Now with classmates, the friends fight through the uncomfortable and painful struggles of a life that doesn’t care how young they are or what they want to be when they grow up. Written by JJ Johnson and directed by Reginald Richard, WANNABE<\/em> at this year\u2019s Capital Fringe Festival explores the hopes, mistakes, and hardships of youth with energy and encouraged audience engagement.<\/p>\n

Overflowing with adolescent enthusiasm, the core group \u2014 Maya Thompson, Baakari Wilder, Rocky Nunzio, Lorenzo Miguel, Nathanael Hatchett, Kara Harrison, and Leah Packer \u2014 dance, rap, fight, fall in love, sink into trouble, and lean on one another as the years pass. For some, the \u201cwant to be\u201d of childhood becomes \u201cwannabe,\u201d a pretender, a fake, or a mask of who they feel they must become when hope for the future is lost. While others keep pushing out or through in pursuit of the \u201cwant to be\u201d dream still intact.<\/p>\n

\"\"With a classic fringe theater feel, the creative team of this stripped-back black box show marks a fraught journey into adulthood with T-shirts and boom boxes. The standout production elements for me were the well-curated \u201980s and \u201990s soundtrack by Charles Perry to mark the passage of time and mirror the lives evolving on stage and some interesting spotlight work that ramped up the tension on stage in a heartbeat.<\/p>\n

A show with heart and conflict but also hope and resilience, WANNABE<\/em> showcases the highs and lows of figuring out who you are amid all the places you\u2019ve been. Or as the characters would say, \u201cOf all the things I wanna be and all the things I\u2019ve been. The thing I wanna be the most\u2026\u201d Well, for the end of this verse, I guess you\u2019ll have to see the show.<\/p>\n

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Running Time:<\/strong> 75 minutes
\nGenre:<\/strong> Comedy
\nDates and Times:<\/strong><\/p>\n