Photos by Gloria Adame
All the signs pointed to Sheridan Monroe’s return to the stage at Theatre Arlington
RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
rich@dallasvoice.com
A helping of Chicken and Biscuits is about to be added to the menu at Theatre Arlington. The Douglas Lyons play centers on a family, with its own ties to Pride Month, at a funeral. Amid the family drama is Kenny, attending his pastor grandfather’s funeral with his boyfriend, the one white person among the Black family congregation.
Actor Sheridan Monroe plays Kenny, and Monroe discovered he has a lot in common with Kenny.
“On the surface, I am sort of like him. When you see the show, Kenny is kind of everyone’s favorite person, and, not to sound arrogant, I feel a bit like that among some people,” Monroe said.
And like Kenny, Monroe has a partner — a husband, to be concise.
But that’s where the similarities stop.
……………………
Chicken and Biscuits
June 6-23
TheatreArlington.org.
Presented by: Theatre Arlington
Written by: Douglas Lyons
Directed by: Sheran Goodspeed Keyton
Cast (in alphabetical order):
• GeCamri Amberay
• Ken’ja L. Brown
• Tyrone King
• Denise Lee
• Karl Martin
• Sheridan Monroe
• Shaundra Norwood
• Tayla Underwood
……………………
“Kenny does have a lot to deal with on the inside, and that whole gay issue is something the family isn’t quite on board with. And then he brings his boyfriend, Logan,” Monroe said. “I, fortunately, didn’t have that with my family.”
His mother knew all about Monroe’s other half, and, in his words, it was pretty cool that it worked out.
Chicken and Biscuitsruns June 6-23. The show has just moved into the stage space for the final tech week, and Monroe is getting the feel for the room to help continue shaping his character.
His casting in the show is a bit serendipitous. The 30-year-old hasn’t been onstage since 2021. Health issues, surgery and recovery kept him away — which must have been hard.
Theater runs deep with this one: He explained that when his mother was pregnant with him, her water broke while she was performing onstage.
As for himself, “I’ve been doing theater since I was two with my mom’s gospel group,” Monroe said. “I felt lost without being onstage, but I had to step away from it. So to be cast in this is kind of like coming back home. And it feels good. That’s all I know.”
That being said, he initially missed the auditions for Chicken and Biscuits. Because of that, another actor was set to play Kenny.
Then Fate stepped in.
“I wasn’t the original actor, but then he bailed out just as rehearsals were about to begin. When I finally auditioned, the actual rehearsals were starting in an hour, and they told me to fill in,” he said. “I was hesitant, but I decided to stick around.”
Monroe was then cast as Kenny.
“There’s so much craziness about all this, but it felt like this role was meant for me to do it,” he said.
Monroe also feels at home with these characters, many of whom parallel some of his own family.
“I definitely have these aunties and cousins in my family, and that’s what I love about this show. You don’t feel like it’s a bunch of Black actors being characters. They are real and the audience will likely relate to or identify a character in the show that they know in real life,” he said.
“Really, this show is about family, and I hope people come with an open heart and mind and ready to receive this lovely story.”
For tickets, visit TheatreArlington.org.
Go for the show, stay for the laughs
On June 14 and 15, stick around Theatre Arlington for a few post-show laughs. The sketch and improv comedy show Haha-lellujah! will serve up some laughs after the play for two nights. Directed by Ben Fort, a Second City graduate, the comedy show dives into faith and spirituality through a healthy dose of humor and laughs.
The show is part of Theatre Arlington’s Comedy Club series. Tickets are $15, but $5 if bundled with the ticket purchase for Chicken and Biscuits. Tickets to the play are not required to the Comedy Club series.