‘Black Gold’ mirrors global crisis

Kimberly C. Roberts
Tribune Staff Writer
Now celebrating 20 years of thought-provoking theatre, InterAct Theatre, 2030 Sansom St., is currently presenting Seth Rozin’s “Black Gold,” playing through Feb. 24. 
Drawn straight from today’s headlines, “Black Gold” is a commentary on the global dependence on oil, and shines a glaring spotlight on our fractured system of government.
This dark comedy, directed by Rozin, moves at break neck speed, with each of the six cast members being responsible for playing three roles.
“Black Gold” is the story of Curtis Walker (Craig Alan Edwards), a Detroit auto mechanic who in an effort to send his son, Forrest (Delante’ G. Keys) to college, tries yet another get rich quick scheme, and buys an oil rig on eBay. 
While it seems highly unlikely, Curtis actually discovers an enormous supply of oil on his property, which sounds like a good thing, right? It is, until the media gets wind of it. 
The news sets off a firestorm of speculation as to what Curtis should do with the oil. His initial plan is to sell it and send Forrest to school, but Congresswoman Juanita Bailey (Kaci M. Fannin) thinks that she has a better idea that will benefit the entire neighborhood.
Eventually President Strunk (Tim Moyer, in a thinly disguised portrayal of President Bush) hears about the lucrative new oil supply, and sends his “people” to make Curtis an offer that he’d better not refuse. 
Juanita advises Curtis to hold off on the sale as long as possible in order to drive the price up as much as possible and raise the property value of the entire low-income neighborhood. They could also use the valuable natural resource as leverage to demand better schools and services for their community. 
Curtis eventually agrees, and while it sounds good in theory, not everyone is willing to wait for “the big payback,” and of course the president of the United States isn’t about to let a poor Detroit auto mechanic deny him anything. So what should be a miraculous stroke of good fortune turns tragic.  
With lots of quick costume changes, and cast members who also narrate the action, striking and re-setting the stage, “Black Gold” almost takes on the flavor and atmosphere of a vaudeville show — and I mean that in a good way.   
At its core, “Black Gold” deals with a very serious subject, and Rozin does a wonderful job of infusing comedy into the script, with his main foil being the engaging Delante’ Keys. Tim Moyer’s over-the-top presidential parody was also a running joke that kept the audience in stitches.
On a serious note, Craig Alan Edwards gave a pure representation of the angst of a Black man who can’t seem to get ahead, no matter how hard he tries. Kaci M Fannin, was an anchor for this provocative production, whether she was portraying the ambitious Juanita Bailey, the compassionate Sheila Walker or the comical busybody Louise Mumford. In fact, the entire ensemble is to be commended.
As the war in Iraq rages on, the economy continues to suffer and the concept of a Black or female president becomes a real possibility, Seth Rozin’s engrossing and entertaining “Black Gold” illustrates how something that is literally in your own backyard can affect the world at large.