George Willborn, the outrageous house emcee of All Jokes Aside, as well co-host on WVAZ-FM’s (V-103) “Mond Squad” afternoon drive-time show, debuts as a serious actor in a play opening next week.
There may be those out there who can’t help a chuckle or two when thinking of Willborn making a stab at the legitimate theater. After all, Willborn has for many years provided laughs at comedy clubs around the city and has made appearances on Comedy Central’s “Comic Justice,” BET’s “Comicview” and HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam.”
But Willborn, a Chicagoan who has been performing for 11 years, is serious about his dramatic debut in “A Horse of a Different Color,” which opens next Thursday at the DuSable Museum of African-American History.
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“This is the first step of, hopefully, maybe a bright theater career,” says Willborn, 32.
Willborn’s maiden voyage into serious drama is a daunting one. “A Horse of a Different Color” is a production about black-on-black racism, specifically biases that African-Americans harbor against blacks of different shades of skin color.
“It deals with the whole light-skin, dark-skin thing, and how it’s still very much alive in the 1990s,” Willborn explains.
Willborn plays Rakim, a young man who has a thing against light-skinned blacks, dark-skinned blacks, “pretty much everybody,” says Willborn. “He’s a real confused brother.”
Now, there’s nothing wrong with Willborn’s wanting to stretch his wings; scores of comedians have done the same over the years. The question is, why take that first stab in drama, as opposed to his natural forte of comedy?
“I’ve got the range, and I have the desire to do it,” Willborn says. “I’m multitalented, and I’m finally being put in a position where I can show my different talents.”
Willborn shouldn’t be chuckled at for wanting to do dramatic theater. Comedians throughout time have gone to the serious side of their craft. This year alone, Robin Williams won an Oscar for a straight role in “Good Will Hunting” and Jim Carrey is getting raves for his serious turn in “The Truman Show.”
“He stole that idea from me. They originally wanted me to do `The Truman Show.’ That damn Jim Carrey, he’s always getting my gigs.”
Be serious, George.
When David J. Harris, the writer and director of “A Horse of a Different Color,” wanted to mount his play in Chicago, producer Charles Cooksey told him to check out a Willborn performance on “Comicview,” because Cooksey thought Willborn might be able to tackle the job. Willborn talked about the play’s subject matter in his comedy act, which gave Harris an indication the comic had a sense of the issue.
“He felt what I was writing about, and he felt what I was trying to say,” says Harris, who adds Willborn has been a “consummate professional” throughout the six-week rehearsal period.
“People a lot of times will shortchange a comic,” explains Harris, a native Chicagoan who has worked in the theater for almost 20 years. “Comedians (are) great in dramas, and they make great actors because their whole emphasis deals with reality and telling a story.”
Because the characters in the piece speak in monologues, Willborn’s experience of talking to the audience serves him well, adds Harris, 39.
“George is a dynamite actor,” he says. “and for the people who listen to V-103 and hears the comedy and all of this stuff, they’re going to really be surprised when they see him do this, because he’s done a tremendous job.”
Willborn hopes this is the beginning of an exciting new chapter in his career.
“I know I have a talent in this, and I’m just real excited to work and hone this part of my craft,” he says.
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“A Horse of a Different Color” runs from Thursday though June 28 at the DuSable Museum of African-American History, 740 E. 56th Pl. For tickets and show times, call 312-832-9577 or Ticketmaster, 312-902-1500.