Alum returns to Ybor City in one-man play

The timing was ripe for Curtis Belz to bring the fascinating solo show “Jails, Hospitals, and Hip-Hop” to Ybor in late September.
In the wake of music icon Michael Jackson’s untimely death, the flurry of debate over President Obama’s proposed healthcare reform, and the ceaseless sting of the economic recession, the words of playwright Danny Hoch’s captivating show found a new voice in the intensely talented Belz. 
From Sept. 17-19, Belz delivered Hoch’s scathing critique of American society, hip-hop, legal and healthcare systems with energy and nerve, appearing quite at home in his former home--the Performing Arts Center of the Ybor City Campus. 
The HCC alum and Eckerd Theatre Company veteran expressed his excitement about premiering the acclaimed play at his alma mater.
“It’s definitely a good feeling,” said Belz of being back at HCC. “I took my first acting class here, so HCC is kind of a point of reference for me.  It’s where it all began.”

 The newly revamped main stage theater, which seats 246 people, provided the ideal intimate setting not only for Belz’s audacious onslaught of characters, but also for the VYB Dance Company’s preceding demonstration of talent.

With as much raw youthfulness and determination as Belz possesses, the members of DeMario Henry’s troupe, offered an appropriate preface for the play, despite some risky attempts at interaction with a mostly reluctant audience.  Dancing to songs by artists such as Kanye West and Busta Rhymes (with an oddly show-stealing salsa number thrown in), the company managed to set an enjoyable and energetic mood for the show; an essential requirement for keeping up with quick-tongued Belz.

Following VYB’s performance, viewers reveled in Belz’s depiction of a mosaic of unforgettable characters, including Flip, a 17-year-old white rapper from Montana; Andy, a prison inmate suffering from AIDS; and Blanca, a fast-talking, 20-something Hispanic woman.

Plucking costume changes from a clothing line inches above his head, Belz morphs into each character between monologues. Indeed, his ability to completely dismantle from one character and transform into the next is utterly remarkable and a joy to observe.

Belz enthusiastically inhabits the dimensions of each character, from language to facial expressions, whether it’s a prison guard or a young man suffering from physical impairments.  Belz is, however, quite a young actor and his inexperience with the difficult one-person show is apparent, yet what he lacks in expertise he makes up for in sheer fortitude and raw talent.  He is most effective in the subtler roles, such as organic eater and heroin abuser Andy and Sam, and the corrections officer with anger management problems.

With direction by Christopher Rutherford and music by Matt Wetherington, this production of “Jails, Hospitals, and Hip-Hop” provided an interesting take on Hoch’s lauded play.  Theater patrons were mostly impressed, talking excitedly about the show afterward, even if they did not catch every line of it.  “I’ve seen the production twice now,” Desiree Fantal said.

“Belz’s acting is amazing. He’s a chameleon.”