I went along to Basic Training expecting standup. Sure, there's the odd gag. But BT is a whole lot more than that. Kahlil Ashanti dares to tell the story of his life, in a series of back-to-back vignettes, in which he plays all the characters. Joining the airforce at 19, not least to escape his cruel, unappreciative stepfather, Maurice, Ashanti is, initially, shaken by the uncompromisingly hardarse, make-or-break drill sergeant, yet rises to come top of his class. From there, he joins the elite entertainment corps, Tops In Blue, failing in his first bid, but triumphant in his second. While he tours the globe, his mother is beaten black-and-blue, by his stepfather. Ashanti returns, only to witness the abuse, firsthand, compounding the verbal abuse and intimidation he and his nearest brother have known since early childhood. In the heat of the moment, he decks the offender, which leads to liberation of his whole family.
It could be a book, a movie, or a television series. In fact, in time, it will, I believe, be all the above (with major studios vying, as I write). As compelling as Ashanti's story is, culminating in the moving reunion with his father, just a few years ago, it's not so extraordinary that it couldn't be any one of ours; it's the telling that makes it so.
In this, KA affords much credit to his acting tutor, Jeffrey Tambor. Though Tambor has doubtless made a significant contribution, the self-assurance and finesse of Ashanti's craft tends to indicate not only a ready, willing student, but a very able one, to begin with. Indeed, his natural talent would seem to know no bounds, since he has won acclaim as a stand-up, dancer and magician. Primarily, though, his debt is to stand-up, but as he easily confided in a Q & A apres-performance, LA doesn't need another 'funny black man'. His commitment and dedication is as boundless as his talent: at Caesar's Palace, he performed 3 magic shows a day, in Japanese! What's more, he translated every line himself. He did it for 3 years, before taking a giant leap of exceptionally well-founded self-belief, moving to LA. But unlike garden-variety hopefuls, casting 'round for a good script, Ashanti determined to pen his own.
Behold, if you will, the comic sensitivity and sensibility of The Castle team. Meld it with the theatrical skills of an exemplary characterful stage actor, like Roy Rene, and you begin to get a sense of the capacities of this young man, in bringing to credible life a cast of real-life characters he's known, loved, or otherwise experienced. In a breath, or turn, he transforms, physically and vocally, from himself to his mother; from drill sergeant to Tourette's-afflicted recruit; from high-camp Tops In Blue convenor to Turkish Islamist. 23 characters in all: as a New York Times critic observed, a veritable army. Or airforce. 'Homeboy' critics, it should be said, have seriously underestimated the potential of this young man, whereas I'll happily make the boldest of predictions: Ashanti will prevail, or should, as a comic genius not seen since Chaplin or, more latterly, Roberto Benigni. From the rough and ready world of stand-up comes an actor of such depth and nimbleness, he can't fail to lay even the harshest critics in the aisles. Basic Training is one of the shows of the century. It's enriching and uplifting. It's more: it's thoroughly inspirational. While not flawless, it's performance craft is. There's nothing which can't be ironed out by a dedicated mentor or two, and Ashanti already has them on-board.
Kahlil Ashanti
BASIC TRAINING
Venue: Illawarra Performing Arts Centre
Dates: 2 - 6 Jun
Times: Tue 2 Jun 6.30pm, Wed 3 Jun 8pm, Fri 5 Jun 8pm, Sat 6 Jun 2pm & 8pm.
Duration: Approx. 1 hr 10 mins (no interval)
Tickets: Adult: $49; Adult Early Week Special: $44 Conc/Group(10+): $40; Conc/Group Early Week Special $35 Student Rush: $19
Visit: www.kahlilashanti.com
TOUR DATES
Darwin Entertainment Centre Wed 10 June
Redland Performing Arts Centre, Cleveland Tue 16 June
Star Court Theatre, Lismore Sat 18 June
Civic Theatre Newcastle Sat 20 June
Seymour Theatre Centre, Sydney Tue 23 June – Sat 4 July
Riverside Theatres, Parramatta Mon 6 – Wed 8 July
Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre Fri 10 – Sat 11 July
Arts Centre, Warragul Tue 14 July
Old Fire Station, Bendigo Fri 17 – Sat 18 July
Wesley Performing Arts Centre, Horsham Tue 21 July
Geelong Performing Arts Centre Thu 23 – Sat 25 July
Butter Factory Theatre, Wodonga Tue 28 July – Sat 1 August
WARNING: Contains strong language
