What I liked
Simply Educational. Sometimes hearing a person tell stories from their life can be boring, uninteresting or predictable. Not this play! Cooper’s stories were quite riveting. Not only were they impossible to predict, but I found myself holding on to every word. There were several references of American history that gave important context to these experiences as well. This life did not happen in a vacuum. We are all, in a sense, a part of every one of these stories. The play was also very well balanced. For every disappointing tragedy there was a lesson learned and well earned optimism moving forward. Bravo.
What I didn't like
More Stories! I’m now invested in this character’s life. Like a soap opera, I want to know what happens next. What happens in college? Does he eventually have his own family? How did the lessons learned in childhood affect future decisions? Unlike a soap opera, this “character” is not fictional but a living, breathing human being who teaches, by putting us in his shoes, the far reaching impact of cultural and historic racism. In other words, we want Chapter 2, Chapter 3 and so on. Let us learn and implement his solutions. I would certainly come back to experience more performances.
My overall impression
Mind Blown. This is a play everyone would benefit from watching.Yes his life stories were entertaining, unpredictable and occasionally downright funny. But when I realized how seemingly uneventful acts of normal life can result in deeply racist emotional scarring, whether intentional or not, it made me rethink American cultural history and it’s impact today. His stories shared the horrors of modern racism through everyday experiences that anyone of us could’ve had ourselves, whether on the giving or receiving end. Hearing about his coping mechanisms though out his life conquering such adversities also provided much needed hope for all of us. Cooper’s stories are not easily forgotten, nor should they be.
