The cast of Five Guys Named Moe
As part of its 10th season, The Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City has mounted a production of a musical that was featured all the way back in the company’s first year: the lively musical revue Five Guys Named Moe. This show is electric and straightforwardly joyful—perfect for a celebratory anniversary.
The 1990 musical revue was written by Clarke Peters, based on a short 1943 play by jazz and swing musician Louis Jordan. Set in the 1930s, it centers on a down-on-his-luck man named Nomax (Vaughan Harrison). Nomax is broke, and his girlfriend has just broken up with him earlier that night. In the early morning hours, Nomax is drowning his sorrows at home when five guys, all named Moe, appear out of his radio.
The Moes—named Big Moe, Little Moe, No Moe, Four-Eyed Moe, and Eat Moe—are there to offer Nomax advice. Using music by Jordan and other artists, they call him out for his poor treatment of his now-ex-girlfriend and generally chastise his behavior. This is really the extent of the plot, and the play’s focus lies nearly entirely on the music. Fortunately, that music, driven by a small onstage band, a talented cast, and Courtney Germany’s dynamic choreography, is dazzling enough to keep us rapt for the swift 90-minute runtime.
Being a musical revue, Peters’ script doesn’t offer much in the way of character development, aside from convincing Nomax he’s been kind of a jerk. Even so, the Moes are wonderfully fleshed out and differentiated. No one can rally a crowd like Big Moe (Douglass Walker); Little Moe (Cameron James) is tops for comedy and dance; Eat Moe (Rodney Thompson) seems like a one-joke character until the secret crooner brings the house down with a ballad.
Under the keen direction of Damron Russel Armstrong and musical direction of Pamela Baskin-Warren, the entire cast (rounded out by Quenton Noble as No Moe and Markus Raines as Four-Eyed Moe) and the lively band keep the energy barrelling forward. This show is 90 minutes of plain fun, and it will have you dancing in your seat by the time it’s over.
“Five Guys Named Moe,” a production of The Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City, runs through March 1 at The Black Box, 1060 Union Ave, Kansas City. For more information, visit brtkc.org
