TWO FUNNY MAMAS RECAP @GRANDEL THEATRE In MIDTOWN STL MARCH 10 AND OTHER TRAVELS

Photos and video by Ma'atology (Otherwise Noted and Credited)

YOURS TRULY taking a pic after the sold out comedy show. In the background is co-headliner Kym Whitley meeting and greeting her fans.

Los Angeles-based comedian Andre Lavelle in his element on stage. (Photo courtesy of Midcoast Media)

Headliners Sherri Shepherd and Whitley coming out to the stage before their set as the crowd stands on their feet.

St Louis based comedian, Larry Greene (FAR RIGHT), who opened the show, is introduced after  the show as Shepherd, Whitley, Chris Denman (of Midcoast Media, the company who produced Two Funny Mamas FAR LEFT) and comedian Rafe Williams (THIRD FROM LEFT).

The comedians who performed pose for a group pic. FROM LEFT: Greene, Williams, St Louis native comedian B-Phlat, Andre Lavelle, Whitley, Shepherd and Shanie D.

RANDOMZ.This attendee had their SOLID SILVER sparkly pants ready for the show in the lobby! 

After the show, the theatre's monthly Dark Room Signature Series was going on in progress. Performing was Chevy The Writer Unplugged Hip Hop set.

MEANWHILE WHEN YOURS TRULY WAS IN ATLANTA TWO COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO:

Outside of the Alliance Theatre where Yours Truly attended the hit stage play, HOT WING KING, there was a pianist playing the piano outside of the theatre. The pianist name was Dudson Jean-Baptiste. He is currently attending college and looking to get into TV and film scoring according to a report from HotPynkRadio

YOURS TRULY standing in front of the Woodruff Arts Center (where the Alliance Theatre is housed) billboard that had an advertising sign of the HOT WING KING

YOURS TRULY standing in front of The Georgia Aquarium in Midtown ATL

YOURS TRULY standing in front of the Centennial Olympic Park.

YOURS TRULY in front of the CNN Centre by Midtown ATL

YOURS TRULY in front of the Center for the Civil and Human Rights  Building in Midtown ATL

YOURS TRULY had a chance to order some Slutty Vegan in Edgewood Atlanta. All I can say is when will they expand to St Louis. The food was delicious!

MAAT TAKES.  So, lets start with The Two Funny Mamas Comedy Show that had taken place Friday, March 10 at The Grandel Theatre in Midtown St Louis. Yours Truly  checked out the show to see the co-headliners Kym Whitney and Sherri Shepherd (Who was re-added to the bill after it was advertised that she was not going to be able to attend). While waiting in the lobby, there was a camera guy who was taking video of the crowd and YOURS TRULY had taken advantage of the opportunity by shouting out the show. Apparently, Yours Truly was the only one who done the shout out. Yours Truly discovered  that the camera guy was part of Midcoast Media, the St Louis based company who produced the show as well as Shepherd and Whitley's NAACP  Image Award winning podcast, Two Funny Mamas (It was also discovered  that the company will post a video of the affair on their podcast). 

So, when the doors opened for the show and everyone was seated, the house was packed (The capacity of the venue is 600 seats). Welcoming  everyone was the Two Funny Mamas producer, Chris Denman and Whitley as the crowd started to sheer for them (Shepherd walked out soon after in her street clothes and sneakers to do a bit of her getting ready and then walked off the stage).

The first comedian was St Louis based comic Larry Greene who was quite funny under certain circumstances of being first. His 10 minute set was mainly observational and one joke that was remembered was about him wearing tight pants which was quite funny. 

The next comedian was Dowell, Illinois native comedian Rafe Williams who performed more of a self depreciating set that was also about 10 minutes. His memorable joke involved a dog named Blackie and him giving comedian Greene some love for being a stud.

Next up was Detroit based comedienne Shanie D who was gracious in her set  where she talked about getting back home after the show and performed a killer poetry set that ended her 10 minutes.

Next was Los Angeles based comic Andre Lavelle, who is also a regular guest on Two Funny Mamas Podcast, had a funny set where he talked about him being a freak in bed and told a hilarious joke about fear of monkeypox and snot in bed. He performed about 20 minutes or so.

Up next was St Louis native comedienne B-Phlat who also has a podcast under the Two Funny Mamas Podcast umbrella called Tighten Up Tuesdaze. She was the highlight of the nite! Her 30 minute set was extremely energetic and funny from the beginning to end talking about menopause, her marriage late in life and why men find her attractive because of her deep voice. 

There was then a 15 minute intermission and Yours Truly scouered the crowd to see who was there and saw Miss Robbie from Welcome To Sweetie Pies, Mr Gary of the St Louis based Them Yo People TV Show  and St Louis comedienne, Aretha Richardson. 

After the intermission, it was time for Whitley and Shepherd who were greeted with a standing ovation. Thy took turns blazing the mic and testing material that was filmed for the possibility of shopping for a comedy special. Some of their solo material was a bit all over the place (in a good way), but they mainly ribbed on each other (Whitley talked about her pink ensem and Shepherd talked about her not being dressed for the show) and the most memorable moment was when they talked about their time in the hood in St Louis the day before the show where they attended a bar/nightclub  KJ's for karaoke and how people there couldnt believe they were actual human beings. Also, the owner of that nightclub attended the show that nite and told Shepherd that he was married but was ready to mingle with her. Hilarious!

After the show, there was a meet and greet that had taken place on stage and much to the disappointment for the crowd Shepherd didnt stay for the meet and greet because she said she had a talk show and there was some stipulation involving that and was very apologetic for not being able to meet and greet. Whitley, however, was very hands on with the public, taking pics and she sold some of her merchandise outside of the theatre where  people continued meeting and greeting and taking pics. Also meeting and greeting were the other cast of comedians.

NOW GOING BACK TO THE ATL, you can first check out YOURS TRULY's review of  The Hot Wing King that had taken place at The Alliance Theatre,,. You can see the review at https://outstagin.blogspot.com/2023/03/hot-wing-king-cooks-up-winning-formula.html

There were also some random moments that had taken place the day after attending the play. Beside what was pictured above, Yours Truly attended a club called Whisky Mistress that evening. It was a 35 plus urban attendees, a little more above a hole in a wall but had a taste of elegance to it. They had a makeshift tent in front of the club where they had plush seats and heaters for the VIP seating was where couples were socializing. They also had a house band and singer perform some R&B covers for awhile,  and then it was back to the old school R&B music. After about an hour, Yours Truly decided to head back to the hotel to crash and sleep.

On the last day  of the ATL visit on that weekend, Yours Truly checked out the Centennial Olympic Park and CNN Area in a very crowded Midtown ATL intersection where both locations were and ran into a Hebrew Israelites rally where there was a convention going on (one guy handed Yours Truly a flier about their religion) and just when I was about to take a Lyft back to the hotel, I ran into a guy who needed help to get to the Greyhound Bus back to his hometown of Austin, Texas by ways of his born land Jerusalem, It was very random but was able to help him get a LYFT to his destination.

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"HOT WING KING" COOKS UP A WINNING FORMULA TO BLACK MASCULINTY @ALLIANCE THEATRE MARCH 5, 2023

PHOTOS BY MA'ATOLOGY (AS OTHERWISE NOTED*)

YOURS TRULY (MA'AT ATKINS) WITH ACTOR NICCO ANNAN AFTER THE PLAY. HE PLAYED THE ROLE OF BIG CHARLES IN "HOT WING KING"

THE MAIN CAST OF HOT WING KING: FROM LEFT: CALVIN THOMPSON, BJORN DUPATY, NICCO ANNAN AND  ARMAND FIELDS (PHOTO BY GREG MOONEY)

IN recent years, award-winning writer Katori Hall has received praise for her hit drama P Valley on The Starz Network. On the theatre stage, she brought some of the same flavor and assortments of that drama and recooked it with the Regional Premiere of "Hot Wing King," that had its final shows at The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta March 3-5 after a two month run.

Set in current Memphis (Hall's hometown), the Pulitzer Prize winning comedy-drama tells the story of four black LGBTIA centered characters on the night before the annual "Hot Wang" Festival. 

It's main couple Cordell aka The Hot Wing Master (played by Bjorn  Dupaty) and his bougie  partner, Dwayne (played by Calvin Thompson)) live together while their friends/wing cookers sports fanatic Big Charles (played by Nicco Annan of P Valley fame ) and the flamboyant Isom (played by Armand Fields) help with cooking up Cordell's signature wings. 

Things turn awry when Dwayne's teen-angst nephew EJ (played by Myles Alexander Evans) visits and asks to live with him because of his disdain for his street centered father, TJ (played by Jay Jones).

THE PROGRAM OF "HOT WING KING"

At first glance, "King," that premiered in March 2020 at The 

Off -Broadway Signature Theatre in NYC, could be easily misinterpreted as a Tyler Perry-esque stage production with the characters' exaggerated physical humor, intonations (the N-word is quite prevalent in this play) and mannerisms of some of its characters  (e.g. Isom's hip twisting and tongue popping ) and neatly placed cookout songs throughout the production (Maze, Luther Vandross). 

However, those conventions were used more to flavor the play and Hall's intentional understanding of who her audience is (mainly black) and using these urban ingredients to tell the real story: challenging black masculinity and the social constructs from them (ex. street cred, homophobia, sexual prowess and joblessness) and questioning those tropes that define it.

THE CAST (FROM LEFT):JAY JONES AS TJ, ARMAND FIELDS AS ISOM, 

NICCO ANNAN AS BIG CHARLES,  BJORN DUPATY AS CORDELL 

AND CALVIN THOMPSON AS DWAYNE 

(PHOTO BY GREG MOONEY)

As far as the performances, everyone in the cast  had their moment to shine when the dramatic components of the story were highlighted (especially Dupaty's and Thompson's).  The actors' characters who were portrayed as straight  (Evans's and Jones's) also were treated honestly in their shortcomings and their own truths. The performances also redefined the roles of a meaningful gay relationships showing more of the humanistic and dimensionality of love, affection and their honest existence and not just archetypes of sexually driven characters within the LGBTIA  community.

EVANS AS EJ AND JAY JONES AS TJ IN A SCENE FROM "HOT WING KING" 

(PHOTO BY GREG MOONEY)

Although the ending of "King" came across a bit "happily ever after" with its main couple and the mature evolution of the nephew, the production overall gave an honest and open perspective of how important that all characterizations of black manhood are represented without compromise and the social aesthetics that comes with it. 

Additionally, the scenic design of an upscale two story house by Michael Carnahan of the movable and retractable stage was elaborate, "eye-taking" and gave a feel of a Southern motif with its choices of  furniture and posters (the art decco Diana Poster was a nice touch).

So, if and when this production receives another run either on a stage at a city near you or on your television screen, be sure 'King" is part of your appointment viewing! 

 

THE CURTAIN CALL (FROM  LEFT) JONES, FIELDS, ANNAN AND EVANS.

THE CAST ANSWERED QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE AFTER THE MARCH 4 PERFORMANCE

A VIDEO SNIPPET OF THE Q and A WHEN NICCO ANNAN EXPLAINED HOW HE BECAME INVOLVED WITH "HOT WING KING"

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ST LOUIS MAYOR'S MARDIS GRAS BALL AFTER PARTY @CITY HALL ROTUNDA FEB 17,2023

There's some revelers from the St Louis Mayors Ball coming to the after party through the red carpeted corridor .

People at the two story city hall building.

 

St Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones greets the crowd and asks if the crowd can donate to her foundation, St Louis College Kids, the foundation that was raising money from this event.

  People greet the mayor after her speech to the attendees.

 A long view of the attendees near the stairwell of the Rotunda

                             Attendees schmoozing.

Hot 104.1 FM ST Louis radio personality Shorty Da Prince on the mic as Run DMC's dee-jay and STL DJ veteran DJ Charlie Chan was on the 1s and 2s. 

 

MAAT's TAKE.Well, Yours Truly, decided to take the chance and see what the After Party for the Mardis Gras Ball was going to give--and just what I expected...exclusivity--for certain people. 

So, when I got there around 30 minutes after midnite, I saw that there were many people in line waiting to see if they were on the list to get in. Much to my chagrin, there were many who got hooked up to the party because they either knew the producers of the event or someone who knew someone for access. I found out that a good friend of mine, singer Sineta Roker, organized the event and informed her of my having to wait by the VIP check in table for clearance entrance from my Mardis Gras All Access Pass and after getting patted down by security like the guests were at the TSA at the Airport. LOL

But I digress from that.

Overall, it was about 200 or so people who attended, many from the event from Union Station that were more of "the urban skin complexion," if you get my drift. It was more a party than a Mardis Gras party--no frills or bells and whistles, but just a emcee and a dee-jay (Charlie Chan always brings the noise as far as playing the right hip hop and R&B tunes for the right time and occasion). My only gripe was people trying  to sardine themselves to the VIP area that was more of a long hallway by the banisters upstairs. I walked through there a few times to see who I could spot (I saw Hot 104.1 personality Andrew Caldwell up in there by the way). Other than that, it was mostly subdued as people chilled drinking from the open bar areas and heavy appetizers passed on plates by waiters in the cramped area.  But it seemed like no one seemed to mind.

It was good to hear from  Mayor Tishaura Jones (her father former Comptroller Virvus was there and all smiles in his dapper white tux) who greeted everyone for coming and gave a humbling plea for people there to donate to her foundation, the St Louis College Kids (the charitable organization) soon after the ticketed event was over.

As the night progressed into the early morning, people were very frisky on the dance floor as the ladies took off their heels to get their twerk on as Chan played Glorilla and Cardi B's "Tomorrow."

It was goin on 2 in the morning and my dress shoes were BARKING on my feet....that was sign for me to vacate the event and head to my abode.

The after party overall was what it was as far as the event was concerned. It felt more of a separate club  party than the Mardis Gras party and I hope that the organizers next year tie in more of a Mardis Gras theme if they decide again to separate the events at two different venues Union Station and City Hall. 

 

ST LOUIS MAYOR'S MARDIS GRAS GALA@UNION STATION FEB.17, 2023

There's YOURS  TRULY, Ma'at Atkins, in the cut with my socialite friend, Musa Ali taking a pic from the event. We also reunited to bring back our DAPPER  CANCERS brand where we attend events and wear stylish fashions.

A long shot of some of the Union Station midway where the event was held.

One of the entertainers during the VIP dinner segment

of the event was the Funky Butt Brass Band

After the dinner portion, popular band Dirty Muggs had the crowd moving with their range of Top 40 hits.

A long view of some of the VIP crowd getting  their Mardi Gras party on ! 

Here is a video of one of the Mardi Gras spectacles that happened during the event.

Here's another Mardi Gras spectacle, an aerial act.

One of the attendees were STL power couple Rinaa Pheonix and Antoine Larry

                                                                              

A reveler with a star balloon in the crowd.

The Marshmello Man LOL

MAAT's TAKE--Overall, the event was OK. Or shall I say, it was Ok enough, for St Louis. Having been to a St Louis Mayors Mardi Gras Ball in the past, I was expecting a little more razzmatazz as far as the whole Mardi Gras atmosphere: the bells and whistles that comes with a Mardi Gras Party, but it gave what it gave.

It was definitely a great return to normalcy after the Pandemic and partying without masks. So, I will give this reason as far as how things were with the event.

As far as the VIP set up, it was well decorated and spaced where people had the option to sit down and eat or grab a small plate to stand and schmooze. As far as the food, it was palatable. I saw many people who went for the cookies and sweets more than the main dishes which mainly was fried oyster-kabobs and rice. Based on people going to the trash can, the oyster-kabobs were not a hit. 

But the VIP made up for the oyster faux paux by having open bar areas for people to parlay in beer, wine, spirits and cocktails. There were many Mardis Gras costumes that kept the mood of the affair intact by the guests, some had complimentary beads and hats that were given out. Their were also many ladies who wore their furs and minks with long gowns of many colors and regalia that kept me keeping score of fashions. 

As the night continued and the libations were poured and drank, people loosened up and got very frisky with the Mardi Gras scene. It was also a night of reunion for me seeing people who I havent seen since the Pandemic hit from school mates, fitness colleagues, and media personalities. The Megalux 360 Megabooth was also a nice added touch for the revelers to capture the moment.

The St Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones came through midway during the festivities  as the Dirty Muggs were on stage with her mayor's entourage. She was  wearing a red speckled number that was well suited for the Mardis Gras occasion. I was expecting her to greet  the crowd on stage for a Mayors Moment but I must have missed it because from pics I saw on social media she greeted the attendees. 

There were also, however, a few WTF moments that I observed as well. There was this couple who was nice and lit and the man's lady wanted YOURS TRULY to spank her bottom as her man looked. I definitely went cold on that request. LOL. Another instance was when a black guy was arguing all up in the face of a white guy as though he was about to hit him in the face. OMG! I dont know what transpired prior to this potential ruckus, but when I mouthed to the black guy, "Is Everything ok?" He mouthed back, "Yeah." And that was the end of that. Another moment was when a lady literally fell into my arms when she tripped over a ladies' high heels that were left unattended by the staging area where The Dirty Muggs were performing. Good thing I caught her because she would have been diving into a hard floor. 

And lastly, when a lip syncher began lip synching to Tina Turner hits on an adjacent stage. It was darkened and the lip syncher had no fan fare. The entertainer (not sure if the entertainer was a female impersonator or not) was not dazzling at all. When one  does Tina Turner you have to be electrifying, and rolling down the river! LOL. 

As things began to wind down, I was debating on whether to attend the After Party that was going to held at City Hall especially after the After Party feel I got from Dirty Muggs turning it out on stage. So, after some quick debate and looking at the time which was after midnite, I decided to go ahead and see what the After Party was going to give.

 

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