In the program for his one-man show, playwright-performer Mario Burrell explains that Every Nigger Is a Star is a "celebration" of the spirit that makes "beauty out of pain." The title refers not only to a hit song by Sly and the Family Stone, but also a bumper sticker that Burrell's father proudly displayed on the family car. As a nice touch, audience members are handed a similar decal on their way out of the theatre. Sadly, though, that sticker is likely to be all that sticks. For a play with such a provocative title, Every Nigger Is a Star rarely rouses.
Though the show is billed as "a biting new comedy about black Hollywood," it really isn't. Burrell instead offers a slight play of memory and longing — the journey of how he came to cherish the beauty inherent in all. The message itself can't be faulted and, judging by Burrell's sensitive performance, it comes from the right place. But other than one finely tuned sequence in which Burrell's father acquaints him with the indelible words of Bishop Desmond Tutu, the play's execution leaves much to be desired.
At times it's Burrell the performer who comes up short, struggling to create engaging characterizations. At other times Burrell the playwright is the culprit, allowing the material to meander. He dwells at uncomfortable length on already-familiar characters: the male street hustler, the diva schoolteacher, etc. When there is a burst of originality — the Fried Chicken Fairy, for example — it comes to an inexplicable dead end.
Appropriately, the play concludes with a borrowed ending: Burrell sings "Father to Son" from March of the Falsettos. The invocation of that William Finn gem is an unfortunate reminder of how richly an emotional journey can be shaded in just 60 minutes — and how pale Every Nigger Is a Star is in comparison.
Presented as part of the New York International Fringe Festival at the Henry Street Settlement's Experimental Theatre, 466 Grand St., NYC. Aug. 12-23. Remaining performances: Sat., Aug. 19, 6 p.m.; Tue., Aug. 22, 7:15 p.m.; Wed., Aug. 23, 9:30 p.m. (212) 279-4488 or www.fringenyc.org.