For nearly 10 years, we watched Hosea Chanchez play the cocky superstar quarterback on the popular TV series “The Game.” Now, you can see Chanchez on stage, rather than on-screen, at the Hudson Mainstage Theater where he is starring in “Good Mourning,” a one-man play that digs into grief, trauma, loss and mental health.
The show is an intimate experience as Chanchez is the only actor in the play. This is a diversion from the roles we’ve seen Chanchez play over time in recurring roles on “Black Lightning” and the BET movie “Let the Church Say Amen.”
“It’s scary as hell, I’ll tell you that,” Chanchez says laughing. “There’s no net. It’s all you.” A lot of the times as an actor, there are so many tricks you can do and get used to when there’s a camera involved, and there are other takes involved, and then of course there are other people involved,” says Chanchez. “So, this is my first time doing something like this and I’m looking forward to what type of revelation it brings in to my life.”
“Good Mourning,” written by Chanchez and produced by “Power” actress, Naturi Naughton, tells us the story of Ernest, played by Chanchez. Thirty-six days ago, Ernest’s nine-year-old daughter, Lilly, lost her battle with Leukemia. We meet Ernest on day 36, a day before he is scheduled to return to work. Through a magical friendship formed with his daughter’s favorite stuffed animal, Ernest Murphy opens doors into his past and goes head-to-head with old emotional wounds and past trauma.
“Mental health is the backdrop for what’s happening here,” says Chanchez. “Specifically, in the African American community, and with people of color, and even more specifically, with men, not only is it not acceptable in society to grieve and heal and mourn in the traditional standard as it is for women, but it’s also not as many resources for certain people.”
Chanchez says, “Now is a really good time to expose those pitfalls and barriers that have been in place for so many years before men had got a chance to understand that it’s okay to grieve and to deal with whatever childhood and current traumas you have gone through.”
“Good Mourning” is open now and has weekend showings through September 8. For tickets and more information, visit www.onstage411.com/goodmourning.
