One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show

One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show: Eclipse Theatre Company

Set in a middle-class upwardly mobile Black family in late 1970s Philadelphia, this exploration of class and gender finds the Reverend Avery Harrison (a Baptist preacher) clinging to his position in the local community. His upwardly mobile philosophy is avidly shared by his wife, Myra (an insightful reimagining of Mrs Malaprop), and by his son Felix, a “preppy”, privately educated college boy. But their comfortable world is shaken when Beverly, the only daughter of Avery’s recently deceased brother, arrives from the rural South. Her father has left her in the custody of Caleb Johnson, a street-wise, fast living man, but Beverly has other ideas.

Presented as a live television recording of the period, equipped with canned applause, recording gear, and a great soundtrack, the production frames itself as a sit-com in recognition of the play’s contemporary influences.

The Cosby Show meets Restoration Comedy in this hilarious play about how hard we try to hide who we really are.