I had the undeniable honor of getting to see the Mayhem Poets perform last night at Stevenson University.
A group of three men that the New York Times described as "the Simpsons meets Malcolm X at a Notorious B.I.G. concert" who's goal it is to bring poetry to all walks of life, the Mayhem poets were absolutely fantabulous.
They bring life and energy into their poetry at full-force and no topic is off-limits to them. Whether it is roaches, a trip to a proctologist, the death of a parent, gender equality, or a simple 6th grade crush, you can't help but pay attention to every little word.
It is a great feat of any artist to get everyone in the room fully engaged, and they do it. The evangelism of Dr.Seuss was quite enthralling and I think even I shouted out an "amen!" Even my husband, who a little grudgingly asked before the show "they're not going to try and make me participate are they?" was shouting out whenever and whatever they asked him to and laughing out loud.
The Mayhem poets don't simply read with passion; no, they get their entire bodies into poem. They stood on chairs, ran off the stage, rattled doors, collapsed in spasms when the third called the "almighty power of Thing One and Thing Two" of the good lord Seuss to bless them, and I think we all swayed a little when we left their lime green limousine to move on out to the air station (a particularly fun poem about imagination).
Their timing was impeccable and their rhythm contagious. The three poets-- Scott, Kyle, and Mason-- each had a different style and personality to bring to the table. My husband broke it down nicely as "The Comedian," "The Artist," and "The Philosopher" respectively. (Though they certainly are all 'artist' the previous description refers to a personality type.) Everything linked together so tightly that even if one was fiddling with the uncooperative sound box or another tripping over the same sound box (apparently it had a vendetta against them) the show continued to run smoothly and seemingly without a hitch.
They jested with each other and with the audience members, going as far as to guess the thoughts of certain members in the "The One Word Poem" and comment on the looks of others, "What you don't think we do Elementary Schools? Look at this, She doesn't beleive we do Elementary Schools?"(Kyle accused a surprised student sitting up front.) Whether it was all a part of a carefully planned script or just improvisation it worked great and perhaps the best part is, I couldn't tell. Certainly the main poems were rehearsed, but the chatter in between and even "The One Word Poem" could have easily been made up on the spot.
Simply to be as amusing as they were would likely have been enough to make it an enjoyable evening, but they also had a true knack for drawing you in with humor and getting to the heart of more serious matters. Kyle's poem about his mother (his hero) was truly insightful and touching, and even had a few members of the audience (male members it behooves me to point out) tearing up. Other times the messages were wrapped up in the humor. For instance, "What you Want, What you Got, What you Need" spanned all desires from wanting a bigger apartment or a better body to wanting the World to stop fighting wars. A poem about expecting a new daughter quickly became about renewable energy sources in a way that was both insightful and amusing.
And if all that wasn't enough, the wit was amazingly spot on. Mason even dubbed a t-shirt that simply said, "Just Do Wit." The two person poem (Scott and Kyle) about online dating transformed almost every bit of computer lingo there is into a euphemism for relationships, and if the knack and style with which they pulled it off didn't impress you, the sheer number of phrases should have. Additionally, I appreciated the addition of a "semicolon" into the "The One Word Poem" and almost every poem played with words at one point or another that either made you think or caught you off guard. Their "Race" poem perhaps is a good example of this, but it is also a good example of their timing.
There was a great mix of poems read individually and poems read by the entire group, Each speaking different lines and then all coming together at once, for an indescribable effect.
The Mayhem Poets visit many venues. They've even been all over the world. So, I'm not sure when, but I'm sure at some point you will likely have a chance or opportunity to go and see them and if you do-- you should GO! Even if you do not think of yourself as "poetry" person. As far as I know there is nothing else like this show out there, and it would a be a true travesty to miss it.
If you want to track them down, check them out: http://mayhempoets.com/
A group of three men that the New York Times described as "the Simpsons meets Malcolm X at a Notorious B.I.G. concert" who's goal it is to bring poetry to all walks of life, the Mayhem poets were absolutely fantabulous.
They bring life and energy into their poetry at full-force and no topic is off-limits to them. Whether it is roaches, a trip to a proctologist, the death of a parent, gender equality, or a simple 6th grade crush, you can't help but pay attention to every little word.
It is a great feat of any artist to get everyone in the room fully engaged, and they do it. The evangelism of Dr.Seuss was quite enthralling and I think even I shouted out an "amen!" Even my husband, who a little grudgingly asked before the show "they're not going to try and make me participate are they?" was shouting out whenever and whatever they asked him to and laughing out loud.
The Mayhem poets don't simply read with passion; no, they get their entire bodies into poem. They stood on chairs, ran off the stage, rattled doors, collapsed in spasms when the third called the "almighty power of Thing One and Thing Two" of the good lord Seuss to bless them, and I think we all swayed a little when we left their lime green limousine to move on out to the air station (a particularly fun poem about imagination).
Their timing was impeccable and their rhythm contagious. The three poets-- Scott, Kyle, and Mason-- each had a different style and personality to bring to the table. My husband broke it down nicely as "The Comedian," "The Artist," and "The Philosopher" respectively. (Though they certainly are all 'artist' the previous description refers to a personality type.) Everything linked together so tightly that even if one was fiddling with the uncooperative sound box or another tripping over the same sound box (apparently it had a vendetta against them) the show continued to run smoothly and seemingly without a hitch.
They jested with each other and with the audience members, going as far as to guess the thoughts of certain members in the "The One Word Poem" and comment on the looks of others, "What you don't think we do Elementary Schools? Look at this, She doesn't beleive we do Elementary Schools?"(Kyle accused a surprised student sitting up front.) Whether it was all a part of a carefully planned script or just improvisation it worked great and perhaps the best part is, I couldn't tell. Certainly the main poems were rehearsed, but the chatter in between and even "The One Word Poem" could have easily been made up on the spot.
Simply to be as amusing as they were would likely have been enough to make it an enjoyable evening, but they also had a true knack for drawing you in with humor and getting to the heart of more serious matters. Kyle's poem about his mother (his hero) was truly insightful and touching, and even had a few members of the audience (male members it behooves me to point out) tearing up. Other times the messages were wrapped up in the humor. For instance, "What you Want, What you Got, What you Need" spanned all desires from wanting a bigger apartment or a better body to wanting the World to stop fighting wars. A poem about expecting a new daughter quickly became about renewable energy sources in a way that was both insightful and amusing.
And if all that wasn't enough, the wit was amazingly spot on. Mason even dubbed a t-shirt that simply said, "Just Do Wit." The two person poem (Scott and Kyle) about online dating transformed almost every bit of computer lingo there is into a euphemism for relationships, and if the knack and style with which they pulled it off didn't impress you, the sheer number of phrases should have. Additionally, I appreciated the addition of a "semicolon" into the "The One Word Poem" and almost every poem played with words at one point or another that either made you think or caught you off guard. Their "Race" poem perhaps is a good example of this, but it is also a good example of their timing.
There was a great mix of poems read individually and poems read by the entire group, Each speaking different lines and then all coming together at once, for an indescribable effect.
The Mayhem Poets visit many venues. They've even been all over the world. So, I'm not sure when, but I'm sure at some point you will likely have a chance or opportunity to go and see them and if you do-- you should GO! Even if you do not think of yourself as "poetry" person. As far as I know there is nothing else like this show out there, and it would a be a true travesty to miss it.
If you want to track them down, check them out: http://mayhempoets.com/
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