5 at the Jungle Theater

 A world premiere of a fantastic, and fantastical new work by JuCoby Johson is playing now at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis. It is a co-production with Trademark Theater. It is named "5" and I can only suppose it is named that because there are five characters...though I do have to admit I am writing this a few days after seeing the show so I may have missed a reference or two.

That being written, I thought this work was really incredible in many ways. The tag line on the program is "an intimate play that races towards apocalyptic ends", which is intriguing, and truthful. While you may think it means "apocalyptic" in a metaphoric way...you would be wrong. The story is about a neighborhood corner store while the neighborhood is going through gentrification. Add to that, the two owners are the sons of the two original owners: Jay (JuCoby Johnson) and Evan (Eric Hagen). These two men were raised in the neighborhood, and are best friends. Enter into this friendship is June (Isabella Dawis) who is Jay's girlfriend...though at the start of the play they may be having some trouble. Along with June there is Walter (Aaron Todd Douglas) who is another community member who may or may not be seeing things. Walter hangs out at the store, and also at the church which is being rebuilt. Into this mix comes Stacy (Dana Lee Thompson) who is a realtor, trying to buy the corner store in hopes of making it better for "the new folks who are moving in." Problems arise, and there are fantastical moments that may be part of the Biblical apocalypse...or something else strange that is going on. I know what I think and will let you go make up your own mind.

The cast is uniformly amazing. Each character is well rounded and you really get to know what makes them tick, and do what they do. The story covers gentrification, but also race relations. It is mysterious, with a Biblical tint to it. It talks about family history, and how our history makes us who we are. It provides a lot to think about and honestly the less said, the better. It is a play that is best experienced in person, especially with the wonderful technical wizardry that the Jungle provides. This is my first time seeing a play by JuCoby and I am already looking to see what he does next.

ps: From what I see, the Jungle Theater offers a "Pay what you can" ticket so this show is very accessible financially.

Photos: Eric Hagen and JuCoby Johnson, Photo by Lauren B. Photography