If the suspicion as to whether the person seated beside you at Milwaukee Metro Voices’ Only We Know Best—At the Town Hall Meeting is a performer or fellow spectator doesn’t pique your curiosity, you’ll soon be engaged by the debate of whatever hot-button political or social issue you typically find most riling.
Convened to debate the installation of a community sculpture and the legalization of medical marijuana, a much more inclusive range of political and social issues comes about at the town hall meeting. The viewpoints portrayed in this satirical musical by Milwaukee’s Jason Powell run as diverse as the characters who present them, which is accomplished through a smorgasbord of musical numbers and personal digressions that range from playful, to snarky, to poignant and raw, but are always captivating. Every topic fairly meets its fate, each getting its turn in the spotlight at the mercy of the production’s tongue-in-cheek—yet real and, in some moments, sobering—examination of topical modern-day matters.
In a climate where critical, individualized thinking and decision-making take a back seat to the practice of subscribing to already-defined identities, this play is a welcomed, even cathartic, depiction of one of our country’s afflictions. Only We Know Best not only serves to skillfully shine a light on the reality that is our divisive society, but also to provide a means for starting conversations about contentious topics in an approachable way—all while having fun doing so.
Through May 21 at Next Act Theatre, 255 S. Water St. For tickets visit milwaukeemetrovoices.org.
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