I wasn’t sure what to think as I made my way across the street to the Don’t Tell Momma piano bar. I wasn’t familiar with any aspect of the show I’d be seeing that evening, which was actually more of a generously portioned taste of what the full show would be like once opening night came.
In the small but packed cabaret room, One in A Million started off with a snazzy oboe solo, which I initially mistook for a clarinet (a sign that clearly I need to brush up on my musical instrument knowledge). The oboist stopped to introduce the show before leading a count down and resuming playing, this time with bongos and the piano accompanying him. A woman in a little red ridding hood costume then made her way through the crowd up to the stage from the back and began to introduce the rest of the cast on the stage, most of whom were bipoc or otherwise of color. The oboe comes back in with a banging solo – one that was as flavorful as the Mai Thai I ordered. The drummer reminded me of a former coworker – and current friend – though really, the whole ensemble looks like people I know either in my friend groups or in my day to day life. It’s an element of the show that really makes the performances feel relatable if not familiar, though not in an overly done way. The music was equally familiar – taking direct notes from the Latin/Caribbean music genre, which as someone with West Indian heritage, was something that allowed me to connect instantly with the vibe and tone of the show.
This taste of One In A Million allowed me to experience the main themes of the show, the humor and at one point, a lovely little outfit change/reveal from one of the actresses into an impressively tasseled two piece. Though I doubt the outfit broke the bank for the wardrobe team, it still looked quality enough to emphasize the personality or the character and the tone for the scene. A previous scene features a song about stirring the pot, something that comes up often with the collective characters of OIAM, with a male singer with locs who had a voice so impressive, I made a point of including it in my notes for the show.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that though the show is a relatively small production, there is so much to see. OIAM tells a story of friends pooling their money to play the lotto and the conflicts that arise over the situation until they collectively realize what’s truly important. It’s not necessarily a groundbreaking plot, and yet I left feeling very impressed by what the production was able to achieve in terms of the vibrance, novelty and energy from the cast, even in such a small venue. I was amazed by the casts’ conga line through the room, which given how packed and small the room was, worked a lot smoother than I assumed it would have, and was fun precisely because of the intimate nature of the space.
I’m certain once the full show debuts at its main venue space, the conga line aspect will be less complicated and risky, but it was cool to see it work so well on a much smaller scale.
Because of the intimate nature of the show, there was a nice dynamic between the audience and the performers, which fits into the themes of the show and allowed for a few call and response moments. It reminded me of elements of the culture of black/of color churches, which increased when a more definitive religious element was introduced. I admit as someone who isn’t religious or comforted by thoughts of omnipotent deities, my hackles were mildly raised when this point came in the show.
Once I realized the direction the religious angle was building to – an extremely timely reminder that the people around us are our neighbors and our fellow humans, regardless of where they came from or legal status, I was more on board. One of the actors even goes as far as saying to the audience that religious people who use their G-d to exclude or marginalize are doing a disservice to both themselves and their beliefs.
I do approve of the ultimate message, and will second what was said at the end of the preview: this show tells a story bearing a pressing lesson that Americans desperately need to hear. I only hope that once the show is open to a wider audience, this message gets disseminated into our cultural zeitgeist.
ARTIUM: OMNI 