Unveiling Laurence Fishburne's Inspiring One-Man Show

TNB Theater Review: There’s Nothing Fictional About Laurence Fishburne’s Latest Work ‘Like They Do in the Movies’

From the moment the actor appears on stage, he even points this out. So one can imagine how it must feel to endure the entire show, knowing there’s truth to each of Fishburne’s stories.

Laurence Fishburne

The production is a one-man show written by the three-time Tony- and Emmy-winning actor and directed by Leonard Foglia, who Fishburne previously worked with on Thurgood. In its 2-hour and 20-minute run, the audience learns about Fishburne’s life, with a focal point on the lives of his mother and father. However, the play centers around Fishburne and several people he encountered at different points in his career. ‘Like They Do in the Movies’ is a brilliant homage to Fishburne’s past and a celebration of the most simple but effective conversations. Whether it’s a friend or a complete stranger, the production shows that even interaction has an impact.

At the start of the play, Fishburne struts on stage in a glittery full-length shawl, dancing while funky music plays. It’s a joyful entrance that sets a unique tone for the show. He then introduces his family – speaking about his mother, Hattie Belle Crawford, who ran an etiquette school for young girls, and his father, John Fishburne, Jr., who was never around as the couple divorced early on. What makes the show quite interesting is that as Fishburne gets into his parents’ history, he leaves pockets of information empty, stating, “…more on that later.”

The actor is pretty authentic in his delivery. He makes use of glances toward audience members, sometimes even coming closer to the audience so that it feels less like a show and more like a conversation. Things take a turn, however, when the play splits into monologues. Each scripted monologue is from Fishburne’s point-of-view but relayed by someone he came in contact with. There’s a bodyguard, a man who washed cars in his old neighborhood, a man he met who survived Hurricane Katrina, and a brothel owner. Each story is quite eccentric in nature, but they all share the same outcome – each story becomes a lesson for Fishburne.

Photo by Joan Marcus

A great aspect of this production is Fishburne’s acting. He’s able to differentiate each character with different voices and cadences. As each scene starts up, the audience isn’t given an introduction to the character but rather takes clues from their words to really understand them. This is the beauty of Fishburne’s writing – he never spoils where the narrative is going for each character early on.

A standpoint in the production came in the form of a monologue by Joseph, a survivor of Hurricane Katrina. It’s a touching story about sacrifice and perseverance that almost felt unreal. As his story ends, a picture of real-life Joseph and his family is displayed on the giant screen behind Fishburne. The use of images in the set design was brilliant, as it helped to further visualize that these are real people. They may be on a screen, but Fishburne is a vessel for their story.

The production ends with Fishburne back on stage as himself speaking to the audience about caring for his mother in her final days. He additionally examines how mental illness, lies, and abuse affected their relationship. They’re truly tragic revelations that cast a dark shadow on the production as a whole. On one hand, you couldn’t be more angry for Fishburne, but on the other hand, you can’t help but feel that his acceptance of all these things is because he knows his mother has suffered enough.

And as he sits in front of you and tells you about their relationship, you learn to accept it as it is – because truth and acceptance are the greatest outcomes of ‘Like They Do in the Movies.’