By Daniel G Taylor
Dark Stars.
Written and directed by Arthur Meek. Performed by Jonathan Council. La Mama Theatre. February 13 to March 3, 2013.
Two African-American performers travel to Australia seeking to become a star – something that eludes them in the US.
The reason they leave America is the racism that puts a nearly-insurmountable obstacle in the way of their dream. More alarming than the racism itself is that it has continued for more than a century.
Both performers find that Australia is, on the surface, more accepting. They arrive seeking the same thing, and they both find something – and the different things they find are what gives this play its power.
Chasing Stardom
As a boy growing up in New York City, Jonathan Council wants to be a star. Yes, he enjoys the acting. Yes, he wants to perform. But what drives him is his desire to be famous.
It almost seems to an American cultural expectation that you haven’t succeeded if you’re not famous – even in occupations where fame seems out of place. Think Judge Judy, famous for passing judgements. Or Paris Hilton, famous for giving the media something to write about.
Council’s first chance at the big time came when auditioned for a part in the movie, Fame, and he got it. His mother, however, was appalled at his desire to have a career in show business, so she kept the news of his success to herself until after the movie had finished filming.
Like so many other aspiring actors, when he hit adulthood, Council moved to Los Angeles to pursue his passion. Like many following the same dream, instead of working as an actor, he got a job in hospitality.
It was while he was a doorman, waiting on stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Sidney Poitier, that he served Cher – a collision with a star that set him on a new course. She had just come back from a holiday in Australia and she encouraged Council to move here to follow his dream.
The idea took hold in Council’s mind and as he researched his trip, he Googled “Black American performers in Australia”. The results told him about a performer who lived a century earlier, Irving Sayles. From a young age, Sayles had been performing in minstrel troupes, giving white audiences what they wanted – stereotypical representations of African Americans.
Sayles and Council – with 100 years between them – arrived in Australia seeking stardom.
On the Other Side of Stardom
From the moment Council steps onto stage, he’s bursting with the ultimate star quality: likeability. Even before he’s started telling his stories or entertaining you, he has you onside, liking him and wanting him to succeed.
He mixes impersonations of Irving Sayles, Elizabeth Taylor and Sidney Poitier with dramatic storytelling, as he highlights his near misses with the “big time”. You need to be able to do comedy well to impersonate Irving Sayles and Council channels the comedian. Humour is also an ever-present part of Council’s story, but not outright comedy. Council’s story could be one of bitterness and resentment, and the humour makes it an enjoyable story for the audience.
One of the strongest elements of this play is the narrative arc. Writer and director Arthur Meek has found the natural parallels between Irving Sayle’s story and Jonathan Council’s. The similarities in their stories are handled so well that it feels organic rather than artificial.
The content of the play does highlight that some social problems have seen little change in the last 100 years. For those forced to the outside of society, fame appeals as a way to gain social acceptance. Racism pushes performers to put themselves into a package that is palatable to a pathetic public.
Despite tackling tough topics like failed dreams and racism, the humour used throughout transcends the darkness. Ultimately this is Jonathan Council’s story of transcending the pursuit of fame and finding something more meaningful, finding peace and allowing him to live authentically.
You need to see this play if you have ever whispered to yourself or declared to anyone that will listen, “I want to be star”. While there’s nothing wrong with the search for stardom, if you put that ahead of spiritual growth, you’ll miss your chance for happiness.