| THE DAILY CHALLENGE |
| 'Cooking the Books' |
| by Grace Williams Inside New York Correspondent |
With the upscale, airy ambiance, warm wood-paneled walls and pristine service, the
Playwright Tavern at 732 Eight Avenue is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon, eating a
delicious meal and seeing a wonderful live performance. "Cooking the Books: A Recipe for
Murder" by Jacqueline Hankins, playwright and actress, is an innovative multi-media
production that synthesizes the classical songwriting of musical theater with today's video
and rap-style performance poetry.
Clearly a woman of uncommon wisdom, Ms. Hankins has created a new, mixed-genre art
form that embraces her knowledge of traditional musical theater, composition, and direction
whole electronically integrating the nuance and fullness of film. The work is novel in that
there is no intermission or traditional Act I or II. The interspersed silent video speaks a
thousand words as it provides the scene changing continuity and extra drama reminiscent of
the silent film era. The co-mingled film imparts variety from clips of colorful scene
enactments to black and white stills. In this "hip-hop musical mystery", it's like being in the
movies but the filmed stars come alive with a live performance and a song.
In the early "You da Man" song, the musical gets the audience singing through the "call and
response" singing that is unique to the black experience emanating from Negro spiritual,
continuing through gospel music, and showing up in today's Rap & Hip Hop styling. Although
the handsome CEO protagonist dies early, his presence is felt as the production incites,
surprises, and carries you through the quandaries of a modern day Gotham white collar
crime caper with a twist - it's all Black!
There was no need for the conventional choreographed dance number, because there was
enough exciting action and wordplay on the stage. The woman to woman fight scene,
featuring the naughtily delightful "Bitch" song alone is worth the price of admission. This
entertaining "bourgeois goes a bit ghetto" number rings true by simultaneously shocking you
while keeping it real, but always giving you a good, deep chuckle.
This multi-talented cast of actors also wear multiple hats in the production such as Anna Hill,
who plays the lawyer, is also Stage Manager, Assistant Director and Publicist. Mykeko E.
Bryant, who appears in the film but not on the stage, is also photographer and videographer.
The greatest kudos go to Jacqueline Hankins, who is a writer, composer, director, actor,
singer and film editor and is truly a renaissance woman. She is to be commended on having
the perseverance to bring this production from conceptualization to implementation with
limited funding. That is precisely why creative projects like "Cooking the Books" should be
promoted, supported and distributed to multiple venues for larger audiences to be
entertained and inspired.
All in all, "Cooking the Books" is good fun for the entire family, great entertainment to enjoy
on a date, with friends, or just by yourself. As a former Wall Street stockbroker, I thoroughly
enjoyed this refreshing, clever production, and I would see it again. So should you.
Playwright Tavern at 732 Eight Avenue is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon, eating a
delicious meal and seeing a wonderful live performance. "Cooking the Books: A Recipe for
Murder" by Jacqueline Hankins, playwright and actress, is an innovative multi-media
production that synthesizes the classical songwriting of musical theater with today's video
and rap-style performance poetry.
Clearly a woman of uncommon wisdom, Ms. Hankins has created a new, mixed-genre art
form that embraces her knowledge of traditional musical theater, composition, and direction
whole electronically integrating the nuance and fullness of film. The work is novel in that
there is no intermission or traditional Act I or II. The interspersed silent video speaks a
thousand words as it provides the scene changing continuity and extra drama reminiscent of
the silent film era. The co-mingled film imparts variety from clips of colorful scene
enactments to black and white stills. In this "hip-hop musical mystery", it's like being in the
movies but the filmed stars come alive with a live performance and a song.
In the early "You da Man" song, the musical gets the audience singing through the "call and
response" singing that is unique to the black experience emanating from Negro spiritual,
continuing through gospel music, and showing up in today's Rap & Hip Hop styling. Although
the handsome CEO protagonist dies early, his presence is felt as the production incites,
surprises, and carries you through the quandaries of a modern day Gotham white collar
crime caper with a twist - it's all Black!
There was no need for the conventional choreographed dance number, because there was
enough exciting action and wordplay on the stage. The woman to woman fight scene,
featuring the naughtily delightful "Bitch" song alone is worth the price of admission. This
entertaining "bourgeois goes a bit ghetto" number rings true by simultaneously shocking you
while keeping it real, but always giving you a good, deep chuckle.
This multi-talented cast of actors also wear multiple hats in the production such as Anna Hill,
who plays the lawyer, is also Stage Manager, Assistant Director and Publicist. Mykeko E.
Bryant, who appears in the film but not on the stage, is also photographer and videographer.
The greatest kudos go to Jacqueline Hankins, who is a writer, composer, director, actor,
singer and film editor and is truly a renaissance woman. She is to be commended on having
the perseverance to bring this production from conceptualization to implementation with
limited funding. That is precisely why creative projects like "Cooking the Books" should be
promoted, supported and distributed to multiple venues for larger audiences to be
entertained and inspired.
All in all, "Cooking the Books" is good fun for the entire family, great entertainment to enjoy
on a date, with friends, or just by yourself. As a former Wall Street stockbroker, I thoroughly
enjoyed this refreshing, clever production, and I would see it again. So should you.
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