Bowl EP

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The Vineyard Theatre, in partnership with the National Black Theatre and in association with The New Group, has gone gung-ho, full tilt on Nazareth Hassan’s dark fantasia, Bowl EP.   The Vineyard’s physical plant has been razed to accommodate Adam Rigg and Anton Volovsek’s ambitious set, a commitment to a work of art rarely witnessed.

Hassan, the Vineyard Theatre’s 2024-2025 Tow Foundation Playwright in Residence, also directed this production, insuring that their vision prevails, and a fascinating, if trying, vision it is. The original music is by Free Fool.

In an eerie corner of civilization—describe by Hassan as “on the edge of an urban wasteland in the middle of the galaxy”—Quentavius da Quitter (Oghenero Gbaje) and Kelly K Klarkson (Essence Lotus), two would-be rappers and agile skateboarders, roll back and forth in the specially built abandoned pool, relaxed in the moonlight (fine, moody lighting by Kate McGee) as they argue about details of their, probably fictitious, album vaping and sending out signals of their attraction to each other.  They are protected from the world by a tall chain link fence that also concentrates the action and emotions.

DeShon Elem’s costumes are witty takes on street wear and help give each character their personality.

In a series of scenes, wittily called Tracks, indicated by projections onto the sides of this repurposed skating bowl, the two banter back and forth, declaring ever more obscene titles for their album and songs, a dialogue that slowly—very slowly—evolves into sexual foreplay.

Quentavius, blessed with a sense of humor, constantly challenges Kelly, the one with clouds circling her brow.  Their sparring gets repetitive and ennui sets in so they indulge in LSD.

As they enter a lethargic alter state, from the depths of the empty pool emerges Lemon Pepper Wings (Felicia Curry), a hyper-active comic figure with a huge head wearing a little girl dress.  Like a friendly bumblebee, she soothes the two quiescent rap artists but suddenly turns into a terrifying, stinging wasp taking the two rappers, but mostly Kelly, to task in a vigorous, obscene rant that goes on for quite a while.

Curry’s performance is startling.  Turning herself inside-out, she is a fierce Greek Chorus that takes tears into the relationship of the two friends and colleagues with particular, vulgar references, for some reason, to Kelly who gets the worst of the physical references.

The finale is an extended double rap, “fiends” which segues into “ummm,” then “high free and flyin’,” followed by others, a virtual tour of their upcoming album which seems to have finally congealed in their minds.

Slowly, as they reveal their complex ideas of life, sex, drugs with a frequent peppering of the N-word, they start where they began, drifting around the pool with no idea of where they will wind up.

Gbaje and Lotus are remarkably sturdy, both understanding exactly what Hassan wants.  Hassan should present them with medals for inhabiting their world so completely and movingly.

Hassan has managed to raise the strident, repetitive street rhythms and language of rap into an art form that gets to the heart of what ails these three colorful figures. To be frank, the language is often harsh, but just as often poetic.

Bowl EP (extended through June 22, 2025)

Vineyard Theatre, 108 East 15^th Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, call 212-353-0303 or visit http://www.Vineyardtheatre.org

Running time: 80 minutes without an intermission