FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE

Ebony Repertory Theatre is bringing back this iconic musical that first ran on Broadway twenty-five years ago! What a treat for Los Angeles audiences! It’s such a fun upbeat show.

I don’t think a lot of people realize how important the actual musicians are to musicals, which is a shame. But the opening night audience of this production seemed to have received that memo! The entire assemblage appeared to be with me in adoring the jazzy band, led by Musical Director Abdul Hamid Royal, (who served the same role in that original Broadway production a quarter of a century ago! How is that even possible?!) We all stayed standing at our seats after the show was over to hear the band finish up.

I totally recommend Five Guys Named Moe to all music lovers. The show is all about the music. The story itself is actually weak, (a drunk man, played by Obba Babatunde, imagines a group of singers come out of his radio to help him with his love life, through song and dance, of course,) because the narrative is designed for the sole purpose of showcasing these famous Louis Jordan-penned songs from the ’40s.

The music is great, the songs are fun, the staging is just about perfect, (my friend, Marcia, deemed it “brilliant minimalist,”) and the six actors are spot-on. What’s not to like?

All five “Moe”s are excellent. They are, (in alphabetical order): Eric B. Anthony as “Eat Moe” (who’s the best dancer of the bunch); Trevon Davis as “Little Moe”; Rogelio Douglas, Jr. as “Four-Eyed Moe” (he’s the best singer); Jacques C. Smith as “No Moe”; and Octavius Womack as “Big Moe.”

There’s also a lot of humor involved, which I always appreciate.  Much of it comes from “Eat Mo,” a guy after my own heart. My favorite line in the whole show is one I myself have uttered many a time: “How is that a party with no food?!” You tell ’em, Eat Moe! (And, by the way, he’s the skinniest one!)

I’ve always had my own opinions on tap dancing, but much of it was colored by my old dear pal, Fayard Nicholas, of the stunning tapping Nicholas brothers. And as I was watching Rogelio Douglas, Jr. and Eric B. Anthony do the only tap dance in Five Guys Named Moe, choreographed by Keith Young, I found myself thinking of just how much he would have been a fan of this duo’s stand-up straight, smooth, presentational style.

Another aspect of the show that brought a smile to my face is that mature, long-time actor Obba Babatunde totally keeps up with the quintet of young ’uns. And I’m sure that he’s taught them a thing or two about show business along the way. What a worthwhile experience for them to star alongside this man.

Actually, there are only two tiny things that bothered me at all about this wonderful production. Firstly, four of the guys are just about the same size, yet one of them plays Little Moe.  And he’s not even the smallest of that quartet! So, that’s a bit confusing.

And the other teensy complaint I have is that, for the first few numbers on opening night, the fabulous band was just a tad too loud for me to be able to decipher the all-important lyrics. That situation is actually a wash for me because I loved the music so much that I would have been happy to hear it all at that volume, but I also wanted to enjoy the clever words.

But neither one of those are negatives; they’re just observations. There’s really nothing weak about this show!

So, for a good time, call the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center right away, for your tickets to this show!  What a fun activity this is any time, but especially if you’re in town for this long holiday week-end.

Five Guys Named Moe running through June 11, 2017
Nate Holden Performing Arts Center   4718 West Washington Boulevard  323-964-9766  www.ebonyrep.org