This review was written by a TeenTix KC teen who is learning about arts journalism through the Press Corps, which provides teens with training and tools to respond to their arts experiences. TeenTix KC seeks to engage teens in the arts and amplify their voices. This may be the first time this teen has publicly expressed their opinion about an arts experience. Thank you for reading and supporting this teen’s development as an arts journalist.
The Drum Closet, written by Kansas City’s own Tosin Morohunfola, is a piece that showcases the many struggles of being different in modern society. First we meet Timi, played by Damarion Leonhart, an eager freshman who wants to audition for drumline section leader. His brother, Kareem, played by Parker VanMichael Jones, is a senior and also wants this role. The two brothers are competing not only against each other but against Matt, played by Ben Brewer. It is clear that Matt is a privileged, rich, white kid, while Timi and Kareem are the only two black kids at their school.
The brothers have incredible chemistry. The show opens with fast-tempo drum rudiments played live by the actors. They show their connection as they circle each other with intense yet friendly body language. At their home, we see photos of Jesus, family, and traditional Nigerian drums in the dining room. Their mother Fatimah (played by Tobi Omodehinde), Timi, and Kareem perform another sequence of drum rudiments, but this time with their traditional Nigerian drums. Fatimah shows insight into her mind by sharing her yearning for her husband who is always away at work, being forced to convert from Muslim to Christianity for safety, and her Nigerian background. Fatimah wants the boys to acknowledge their background and understand that all things have an origin.
In one scene, Matt is jealous of Kareem’s high grade and tears up Kareem’s test, but Kareem is punished. The teacher blames Kareem with the implication that his sole evidence was that he was black. Later, Matt makes a snide comment about how Timi only ‘hangs out with the queens’ referring to his friend Steve, played by Gregory Williams. This makes Steve distraught and enrages Timi. Timi throws Matt’s lunch tray on the ground, then the security guard brutally pins Timi down causing a ruckus in the lunchroom. The tension is high as Matt just laughs while recording a video of Timi being taken away to post on his social media.
The lighting turns red and there are resonating heartbeat sound effects as we see a side-by-side of Timi in the school resource officer’s room and Kareem in the guidance counselor’s office. The two events are almost identical: the words of the authority figures and the rebuttals of the brothers overlapping simultaneously with the same exact words. Both repercussions to these events are unjust, and each separate event is getting treated with the same punishment. The only reason for these ‘blown out of proportion’ punishments is because the students are black and the conscious or subconscious bias against them.
“Turns aren’t real, earning it is.”
During transitions, videos play on the onstage TV screens. These connect the play to our reality. It is easy to separate art from the real world, but the audience was forced to recognize that art imitates the world. There were real news clips of discrimination of queer people, Muslims, and black people. Especially relevant with the recent times, there were also clips relating to immigration and deportation. Additionally, Matt’s video of Timi getting pinned down is a direct replica of real-life social media. Morohunfola continuously uses his characters to break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience, calling them to listen to their story. On a deeper level, it is calling for the audience to act in their real world. Saying ‘what is happening in this story is happening right now in front of your eyes, and there is not enough action being taken to change these things.’ Staying distant from problems and assuming someone else will ‘do it’ is a terrible mindset that needs to change if there is any progress to be made for eradicating discrimination in our society.
The Drum Closet is an extremely powerful piece. It combines comedy, live music/drums, relatability and serious issues all into one digestible show. Not only did The Drum Closet bring up important problems, but also relevant ones that serve as a call to action to the audience. I will not spoil the ending, but I highly recommend you see this production. There are many things I cannot express in words that one just needs to see and interpret for themselves.
Reviewed by TeenTix KC Press Corps member Cecilia Miller
TeenTix KC is a KC Studio initiative building a brighter future for our region by empowering young people to take an active role in shaping their arts community as audience members, critics, influencers, advocates, patrons and leaders. Any 13-19 year-old can become a TeenTix KC member by downloading a free pass which enables them to buy $5 tickets to participating arts venues across metro KC. Teens are encouraged to become critics and influencers by writing reviews and creating reels about the arts they experience using their TeenTix KC passes.
