Sometimes, the Ordinary is extraordinary. Such is “A Punk or a Gentleman” presented for its world premiere by the Theater for the New City, inviting the audience into an ironic ten-character tale of an abused womanizer named Darren. In the height of the repercussions of the Me Too Movement, playwright Andrea J. Fulton and director Kymbali Craig take a lot of liberties in creatively portraying a seemingly ordinary middle-aged, middle-class, black man who loves women a little too much and a little too many of them at the same time, who is also coincidentally a victim of domestic abuse.

The play explores the intricacies facing the everyday life of Darren and his not so ordinary love life and the secret abuse he has faced from his relationships with women, dating back to his childhood and his own mother. Darren is a smooth wordsmith played by Allen Craig Harris, who was very entertaining and believable in the role.  Masked by the scars on his face are the scars that lie deep in his psyche preventing him from seeking a healthy relationship with a woman. Our protagonist is married to his fourth wife and on his way to either a divorce or … Continue reading..