‘Immediate Family’ finds humor in a heavy subject

BLUMENTHAL PERFORMING ARTS

A scene from “Immediate Family,” Paul Oakley Stovall’s semiautobiographic take on the dynamic of family, racial and sexual identity. The play runs July 29-Aug. 31 at Blumenthal Arts.

Paul Oakley Stovall can identify with the dynamics of humor, race and sexuality.

Stovall’s play “Immediate Family,” which takes the stage at Blumenthal Arts July 29-Aug. 31 is directed by Phylicia Rashad. Productions will be held at Booth Playhouse, 130 N. Tryon St. Tickets are $27.89, with showtimes every day except Mondays.

The story takes place when a Black family gets together for a wedding and is shaken when one of the characters introduces his white boyfriend. The audience will watch events unfold as the family navigates issues surrounding race and homophobia.

The themes explore the conversations and dynamics within a family, showcasing the importance of self-discovery and leaning on each other through thick and thin. Stovall, whose credits include “Hamilton,” describes

“Immediate Family” as “an exploration of what happens when we don't allow ourselves to live in our full truth out of fear of what could befall us and an examination in what can happen when we do, and what great things can come our way when we do stand up and show our true selves to those that we love.”

The play’s inspiration comes from experiences Stovall went through in his own life and says the play is “semi-autobiographical.” 

“I challenged myself to write my own story, and that's when ‘Immediate Family’ was born,” he said. “Now since then, of course, I write about many different topics, but that first play was absolutely born out of a necessity. And not just to see myself or people like me on stage, but the people that I knew and loved to see those people on stage.” 

Although the production includes heavy topics, Stovall did not want to tell the story from the same point of view in which these conversations are normally told. “Immediate Family” adds a comedic tone inviting their viewer to laugh with the characters. 

“I think that we get caught up in the idea that talking about these subjects should inherently be difficult,” he said. “That was never something I had to find the humor in it all. I think we can all be kind of ridiculous about the things we believe so hard in.”

Stovall's mission is not to force a point of view but rather reach the audience one by one. 

“My hope can be someone sees the show, and if one person goes home and speaks kindly to their child when they haven’t in a while, and that relationship begins to shift, and then that child who may have been bullying some kid at school speaks kindly to that child the next day,” he said. “And then that child can finally study because they’re not worried about getting beat up, and they start improving their grades, and they end up in college, and they succeed in this profession or the other profession, and they do something to the world. That’s the way I can do it now. 

“That’s an intense leap of faith, right? Because I’ll never see that. I’ll never know if that happens. But that’s my artistic journey right now, is to have faith that that’s out there happening.”

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