Social Media buzz for NATIVE SON...

Monday, March 27, 2017
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PLEASE NOTE EVEN IF THE INITIALS ARE THE SAME, THEY ARE DIFFERENT AUTHORS - JUST WITH THE SAME INITIALS...

"Native Son was one of the most intense and beautiful shows I have seen in a long time." - XM

"You have two more chances to see their amazing version of Native Son. I saw it last night and it was amazing! The set, the sound and lighting design, the actors' full commitment, and the director's vision all lent to a thrilling viewing experience." - JL

"Last night's performance of Native Son by the Stray Cat Theatre was beyond phenomenal. I’m still decompressing after this powerfully intense stage drama. I’m one of those people who has been ‘meaning to’ get out and catch a live performance of community theatre for a long time but never did. ‘Native Son’ was exactly what I was hoping for in a live performance and more; visceral, surreal, violent and poignant. The energy of the cast overwhelms and captivates the audience, locking everyone in the grip of this relentless play. It peers on the edge of a dangerous precipice, almost justifying the violent crimes of Bigger Thomas (played by Micah Jondel DeShazer) as being the byproduct of years of racial oppression. The stunning and indefatigable performance by Alan Johnson as The Black Rat keeps all of the action concentrated on the terrifying, distorted perspective of a mind unraveling at hyperspeed, a fast paced socio-politically powered whirlpool that grabs you and pulls you into a disintegrating world of fear, violence and madness. The entire cast and crew has worked very hard to put on a show you will not soon forget; venturing into realms abstract, surreal and experimental, revealed in stunning sound and creative stage lighting. 
Tonight is the final performance of Native Son. Get your tickets now and don’t let this one get away without experiencing it for yourself!" - BP

"Simply amazing!" - LK

"Amazing, amazing, amazing!  Brilliant show.  Kudos, Stray Cat Theatre and Ron May.  Native Son was the best show we've seen this year." - LG

"I just saw Native Son and it was Amazing.  Very moving and very emotional.  IT was well worth it." - JP

"This was an amazing show!!! We loved it!" - SE

"Congratulations cast and crew of "Native Son" on all of your badassery, for bringing this brutal piece to life on stage and doing it so beautifully. You should all be very proud. Thank you for sharing your gifts." - AV

"I saw Native Son last night.  Congratulations, wonderful show.  So well written, well acted and well directed.  I love shows that make you think and this one has stayed with me all day." - WP

"...hands down the best Native Son I've ever seen, and the one of best plays I've seen all season. I mean, holy crap. It was so well done, and I'm so glad I was able to catch it. Y'all are amazing!" - KQ

"Micah J Deshazer as Bigger was riveting. He & his counter Alan Johnson kept a fast paced physical & mental exercise in torment. Not just a Black journey but a journey of all people struggling with a horrific condition. The "Human Condition" is played out in all it's beautifully ugly truth. Bravo. Cheers." - JJ (goldstar review)

"Good. Lord. Native Son is. Just. Wow. Bravo, Stray Cat Theatre." - KF

"Incredible show tonight...Disturbing in all the right ways...staging and the production as a whole was superb." - BM

"Congratulations to the entire Native Son team. I'm still mentally unpacking what we watched unfold last night. Magnificent acting, beautiful design, seamless direction." - SEM

"Amazing performances! I loved the show!" - JO

"AMAZING. I don't even have words. Loved it! " - BL

"Saw native son tonight!  Very  moving!  Congratulations to the cast and crew!" - JN

"Stray Cat's latest work is compelling, powerful, timely, disturbing, wonderfully directed, and passionately acted. We talked intensely about it for an hour afterwards. One more weekend. Go." - KM

"I saw this...last night. I don't think you'll ever spend a more densely packed 90 minutes in a theatre. The performances, particularly by Deshazer and Johnson, are brilliant, heartbreaking, thoughtful and riveting. Don't go see this 'if you have time'. MAKE the time to go see this." - RM

"just saw some amazing work at Stray Cat Theatre with their NATIVE SON. my heart was racing through the whole thing! everyone was incredible, the set, lighting, direction was superb, and Micah Jondel DeShazer blew me the absolute fuck away. give him all the awards right now. for serious." - CW

"Native Son at Stray Cat was incredible and moving with a stellar cast telling the very poignant story of Bigger. Ron May is the answer to the solution. Without his genius our community would be stuck in a rut of watching the same over produced shows and I'm GRATEFUL we have him in our community to challenge our ideals, to put on art. Micah Jondel DeShazer alone is worth the price of ticket. The cast artfully tells this twisted story. Go see it!" - CB

"I just saw Native Son, and it was fantastic! Powerful acting, brilliant direction, great across the board. Congrats! Everyone go see it!!" - AC

"I was rocked tonight by this production of "Native Son".  Beautifully produced and staged by Ron May and Stray Cat Theatre, it resonates so much today.  Please see this if you can." - ML

"I saw Native Son at Stray Cat...You should add that to your go see list." - LP

"Amazing show!  I saw it last night!  The set is amazing, beautifully directed by Ron, and a WONDERFUL cast to round it out!!" - KC

"Big thumbs up for Stray Cats production of Native Son!" - MW

"The show was fabulous!" - CW

"That's it. I'm officially out of emotions. They've all been taken from me. Damn you Micah, you magnificent bastard. Congratulations to all the artists involved in Native Son. A truly masterful production." - NS

"You made me cry tonight. Not like emotional basket case cry. Like soul aches with so many feelings cry. What a wonderful show. I don't go on about many shows that I see cause I'm like where's my script? Grumble grumble grumble. Technician. Point at that. Move that. Grumble. Grumble. But let me tell you what a beautifully moving piece of theatre I saw tonight at Stray Cat Theatre. Just go. Native Son. Effing amazing." - KB

"Loved your show so much...Wow! That was such an intense piece." - JC

"It was VERY moving!" - JWH

"Thank you Stray Cat Theatre for producing works like Native Son." - SC

"Native Son.This show just embodies how people become products of their environment; even when they have every intention of being better. This show rings just as important and true today as it did back then. It will make you cry. It will make you think. It will remind you that not everything is black and white. Most importantly it will remind you how important it is to just be kind." - JF

"...stunning show...it was one of the most deftly directed peices on Black culture that I have seen in all my years. Your connection to the essence of the Black experience and your ability to grasp those nuances...is genius and so appreciated. It Took me the entire night to cut that emotional cord you so intelligently and beautifully compelled me to embrace and wrap around me. Every Black person that is blessed to bear witness to your work especially during these horrible times in this country will have the same reaction." - DH

"this show is raw. it will make you feel and think and squirm. and Micah is going to take your breath away." - LF

"...it is GORGEOUS and heady and challenging in ways that make you so glad theater like this is conceptualized and produced...heavy and hard and awful and beautiful." - BU

"OK. I saw it. You gotta see it. Powerful work. Just... powerful." - JC

"It's a powerful, beautifully executed show. One that you really don't want to miss." - JF

"Very great troupe who put on great performances which we just saw great one with the play Native Son based on the book by Richard Wright," - AS

"It's powerful, and poignant, has some amazing talent." - MH

"Stray Cat did it again. Phoenix, get thee to "Native Son." A challenging, uncomfortable play, relentless and brutal and necessary. Micah Jondel DeShazer - devastating...Joseph Kremer - pitch perfect as always. Thanks to Ron May for your pacing and use of space and sensitivity and willingness to go there so we will too. Kudos to the rest of the cast, crew, and kitty family. No punches pulled, as it should be." - BJF

"Tonight I had the privilege to attend opening night of Stray Cat Theatre's Native Son. It was incredible! It was heart wrenching and made me gasp audibly. Ron May - you are such an amazing director! Always great to see...Joseph Kremer on stage and what a thrill to see...Brian Klein, on stage, too! The rest of the cast (especially Bigger and Black Rat) were so on point. All my theatre loving friends and those of you who haven't really experienced much live theatre, this is the time for you to spend 90 minutes immersed in this experience and really THINK about what is happening in front of you." - MT

"I just saw "Native Son" it was fantastic.  please go see it if you don't you are missing a Great production." - YC

"Just saw the preview of Stray Cat Theatre's Native Son. It was poignant, sucked the air out of my lungs completely on a number of occasions, and made me cry. It was beautiful and you will be really upset with yourself later if you don't make time to see it at least once. Trust me on this one. Beautiful work!" - NG 

"Show was, in a word, terrific!  Powerful story, well acted, with wonderful sensitivity to an amazing story.  Please convey my thanks to cast and crew for an unforgettable evening." - FH 

"The show was phenomenal!" - AH

"My parents go to almost all of your shows. They went last night and my mother said the show made her cry. She thought it was incredible." - AW

"Stray Cat opening last night of 'Native Son'. Oh I cannot express enough love and my deep admiration for this Theatre. 'Native Son' is astute, real, theatrical, quietly and noisily profound, and living art on stage. Not only did I want to cry and exclaim because of its story but because of the magnificence of Ron May's artistic genius, spot-on actors, technical smarts, set design, costuming, color balance and lighting, voice work, timing, and the beautifully-poignant, broken mess in front of me...Heartfelt congrats to Ron, his SC peeps and loves, actors, technical, backstage, supporters, and everyone involved !! . . . including Whitey." - DL

"Caught opening night of 'Native Son' at Stray Cat last night and I was exhausted from watching it. You can feel the breath, the passion and the constant movement where the moments of stillness are more impactful of the story telling. The elements (lighting, sound, costumes, props, set and of course direction) elevated the story to another level. So I suggest you run to the theatre and see what insanely stunning work Stray Cat is doing." - MT

"Still reeling this morning from Native Son. Stray Cat is the only theatre company in town that could pull something like that off, or even try. Your taste (and you, of course) are amazing, Ron May." - PFL

Yesterday I got to see two very different, but both emotionally challenging and very rewarding plays...The second play I saw was "Native Son".  This production by Stray Cat Theatre, directed by Ron May, is especially  relevant in today's America. It's an unflinching look at race, and the  story's central character, Bigger Thomas (portrayed by Micah Jondel DeShazer) is amazing! Go support local art - the gifts you get are worth it!" - RH

"Such an amazing and powerful piece of theater. Every element of design was incredible and the acting is out of this world. Another Stray Cat Theatre success story." - RM

"Saw some excellent "feed your head" theater this past weekend. NATIVE SON Stray Cat Theatre - one of those shows that you'll tear apart and reassemble in your head for days afterwards." - LD

"I just saw Stray Cat's production of Native Son. Emotional. Thought provoking. Theatrical. A powerful experience that I highly recommend. Congratulations To Ron May and to all involved." - DH

"Staging this play was a formidable undertaking, but Ron May and a powerful cast met the challenge." - GO

"In 1940, Inspired by an real murder case, Richard Wright wrote "Native Son." The novel has become required reading for its unflinching look at systematic racism and the insidious consequences it has on black people in America. In 2014, Nambi E. Kelley premiered his theatrical adaptation of "Native Son" at Chicago’s Court Theatre to critical acclaim. This afternoon we saw this powerful play produced by Stray Cat Theatre. The protagonist is Bigger Thomas, an impoverished young African–American man living on Chicago’s South Side in 1939. When he accidentally kills the daughter of the rich, white family he’s working for, the subsequent terrible events clearly illustrate what W.E.B. Dubois called “double consciousness,” the internal conflict experienced by subordinated groups in an oppressive society. The playwright chose to express that double consciousness by having Bigger shadowed by another actor who beautifully expressed the conflict in Bigger’s mind. Micah Jondel Deshazer played Bigger with astonishing skill, as did Alan Johnson as Bigger’s alter ego. The entire cast was first rate and the superb direction by Ron May makes this a must-see theater event." - BO

"I saw opening night of Native Son... I still don't know what to say.  What a powerful show that is.  Micah had such a beautiful intensity- he was so immersed in the journey you could SEE him feeling everything.  But the lady who played his mom! She is something special. Her voice (both speaking and singing) is haunting." - HH