Reviewed by Amalisha HuEck
Trio Vision LLC and The James Twins, Inc. present The Motherf**ker with the Hat, written by Stephen Adly Guirgis. The play is about the cycles of self-sabotage through making foolish decisions which bring on foolish circumstances – like a jail cell. Jackie, portrayed by Lodric D. Collins, has just been released from prison, where he served over two years for drug dealing. While in prison, his girlfriend Veronica (Jordan Marinov), had an affair, managed to have an abortion, and is clearly still sniffing on drugs. Jackie’s excitement is high when he first enters her home, but his love for Veronica diminishes when he notices a man’s hat on the kitchen table. Immediately, the elaborate infidelities take flight in his head and bring loss to a passionate love. His anger grows with a need to find the owner of that hat and get revenge.
This high energy show brings Ralph (Alex Désert) and Victoria (portrayed by the gifted Jolie Oliver, who also directs this fine production–both tasks are done with precision) into the picture as Jackie’s sponsor and Ralph’s wife.
Carlos Moreno Jr. portrays Ralph’s Cousin Julio with such flexibility in both wit and motion; it is hilariously funny. He lets his emotions fly high, going to the max with what he has to offer. The cast of five is outstanding, bouncing off each other with finesse and great acting skills. All the characters are lovable despite their flaws and emotional frailties, but Julio steals the hearts of the audience with ease and playfulness…
Scene changes are amazing. The complexity of every transition is deeply interwoven with many hands. Every change of scene is fluently played out, as if it were a scene within a scene. A lot of coordination takes place to put all the pieces together for the next section in the story. It was fun watching it all.
This organized chaos about love, addiction, truth, and betrayal has a lot to say about human nature. When you face a moment of stress, and you feel your life is going in a different direction than you intend it to go, you will do whatever it takes to get the original life back. The fact is, Jackie loves Veronica very much and she loves him, but she is acting opposite to what she feels. When we don’t want to investigate the truth, we are living a side life and hurting ourselves and others. After all, even being clean and sober doesn’t mean much if you’re still a liar and a cheat. Truth is important.
Other creatives include producers JaNeika James and JaSheika James, who have a lifelong love affair with film and television and are committed to creating, developing, and writing projects that enlighten, inspire, and entertain audiences around the world. The visual artist and set designer is Amanda Urrego, who put her design skills to work and brought this great play to life. Lex Giana (Costume Design) has a history of creativity in fashion and film and dressed these incredible actors to the needs of the scenes. I really enjoyed the lighting designed by Brandon Baruch. It gave me an opportunity to comfortably take notes. The talented music producer and composer Andrew Villaescusa designed the original sound, and fight coordinator Chris Cortez created a believable fight, which the actors did with joy.
As a part of the opening night, the flavorful Mexican dinner was served with some tasty side condiments. That was some of the best Mexican food I have had so far, delicious, and tastefully arranged. My kudos to the chef!
The show was originally produced on Broadway in 2011 and featured Bobby Cannavale and Chris Rock. If you are OK with adult foul language, and there is lots of it, I would highly recommend it. The play is described as a high-octane verbal cage match about love, fidelity and being misplaced.
The production of The Motherf**ker with the Hat opened their doors at 8pm on Saturday, August 9 at the Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025. The run of the show is on Thursdays-Saturdays at 8:00 pm; and on Sundays at 2:00 pm through August 31, 2025. (street parking, small lot at the building). The tickets are $45 reserved seating, $10.00 discount for seniors, $15.00 discount for students (must show student ID at the door). Reservations: https://www.tmfwth.com/