There are two types of standing ovations at the theater. There is the kind when everyone sort of waits to see if anyone else is going to stand up and then joins in because, hey, you spent $120 bucks to see a Broadway show. Then there is the kind where you haven't even noticed anyone else was in the theater with you...and suddenly the entire audience instantaneously jumps to their feet before the music has even begun to end. And last night, the latter kind of standing ovation was the case at the end of my friend Colman Domingo's one-man (and one-night-only) show "Colman Domingo: A Boy and His Soul" at Joe's Pub.
For those of you who don't know, Colman was the star of Broadway's "Passing Strange" and is considered to be one of the most talented theater actors around. He is also a good friend. But that is not why I thought his 
performance was so amazing (with me were three wonderful girlfriends...two of whom didn't know who Colman was...and all three were beaming, laughing, teary and everything in-between for the entire show!). In this performance, Colman gave us his autobiography, put to (and relayed through) soul music. Growing up in Philadelphia in the '70's and '80's, Colman faced some expected challenges...being black, having little money (his description of the second-hand store was simply hilarious)...but then he also had to face being gay. Done with spot-on impersonations (to watch him go from his uber-"guy" brother to his Miss-Thang sister to his gentle mother all in one sequence was just unreal) and a roaring soundtrack of Diana Ross, Earth Wind & Fire, Isaac Hayes and more, I was laughing till I cried...and then almost crying at the touching "discussion" between Colman and his tough-exterior stepfather after he came out of the closet. The hour-and-a-half long show went by in what seemed like 10 minutes, and I truly hope I get to see this production again (written in 2004, Colman has performed it numerous times in the past).
Now, Joe's Pub (part of The Public Theater on Lafayette & Astor Place) is a crowded place. Tiny tables are crammed in for maximum capacity. You have to make a dinner reservation to secure a table or it's first come, first serve. So when I made mine, I also requested a table close to the stage...and they didn't mess around! I was literally leaning my arm on the stage, too mesmerized to think maybe it didn't belong there (!). And while I nearly cracked my head on the concrete pole next to me jumping up for that instant standing ovation, I did take a moment to look around...and see one smile bigger than the next throughout the packed room. And when I talked to Colman afterward, he was thanking everyone for coming...when in fact, we owe HIM the thank-you...
~ Alison
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