Mayor Moonbeam Rated PG
June '98
The city that brought ebonics, to the nationís consciousness, is now the
host of "Mayor Moonbeam," one of newest and the funniest plays in recent
memory.
"Mayor Moonbeam" centers around a 60-year-old character named Moonbeam,
a one-time priest, turned governor, turned presidential candidate,
turned philosopher, who develops a mid-life crisis and decides he will
run for mayor in a city that is the last hub of black culture on the
West Coast. This play is not to be confused with Bullworth, a current
film about another white politician who has a mid-life crisis and
finally decides to tell the truth.
The Moonbeam eyes a city is a mid-sized diamond in the rough, that has
all the amenities of a major city, but it's image is tarnished by the
negative perception of crime, lack of economic development, and the
other ills that plague urban communities. Although the city hasnít had a
white mayor in almost 21 years, Moonbeam is more than ready to step into
the slot, despite the fact he hasnít held a political office in more
than 15 years.
The previous two black mayors of this city were nice fellows, but
according to one of the principal actors in "Mayor Moonbeam," the two
black mayors werenít black at all. One was colored and the other was a
Negro.
In any other area where blacks where shut out of the political process,
changed it and opened it for themselves, Moonbeam wouldnít have a chance
in hell of getting elected mayor. But in this town that Moonbeam has
his eyes on, he knows the black leadership doesnít have its act
together. He can look at a mayoral field of 10 candidates, including 8
black candidates (6 of which shouldnít have ran), knowing he has nothing
to worry about.
So as Moonbeam begins his campaign he flashes back to his radical chic
rhetoric of 20 years ago when he was Governor. On the stomp, Moonbeam
blasts big corporate interests, without disclosing a large portion of
his familyís money was made dealing with these big corporate interests.
Instead of discussing the problems of economic development, which the
city needs, Moonbeam says the cityís problems are "due to a
colonialization of the mind." He goes on to say he wants to transform
the city into a green "ecopolis" like a city in the Italian Hills.
Although this hyperbole is confusing to most of the black and white
people within the cityís electorate, Moonbeamís rhetoric engenders him
with some black radicalís leftover from the mau mau days who didnít get
government jobs or grants. This attraction between Moonbeam and the ex
mau mauíers, makes him a rainbow coalition kind of guy, and he can feel
comfortable knowing he has some support within the black community. He
can now concentrate on getting support within a white community that
likes him, and is afraid of the other black candidates.
Meanwhile the 8 black candidates in the mayoral race, really get it on
with each other. They cuss, fuss, buck eyes and smash teeth at each
other during debates as the black and white public look on in disgust,
and Moonbeam kicks his feet back and looks at them shaking his head- he
is above the fray.
On the stump, Moonbeam dropís celebrity names like PeeWee Herman, and
Tina Marie, that makes the crowd go oh! In debates, Moonbeam
philosophizes like Confucius, as he gives utopian views of what the city
will look like with populists slogans such as "my city first" in regards
to jobs, without giving any substantial plans on how he will do it.
This frustrates the black candidates, as they lob attack after attack on
Moonbeam and his harebrained philosophies, but it is too late. Moonbeam
has won the praise of all of the local media outlets like the San
Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Chronicle, The Oakland Tribune, and
the San Francisco Bay Guardian. These papers praise him and his feisty
attitude which they say can turn this urban center around (for whom?
them).
As the election approaches, everyone knows Moonbeam is the front runner,
but his rivals want to force a run off so they can show his enormous
flaws, but it doesnít work. Moonbeam wins over 58 percent of the vote
becoming mayor and he knows he is something else. Even if one candidate
had amassed all the votes that were tallied by the other l0 candidates,
Moonbeam would have still avoided a run off due to his celebrity status
instead of the substance in his views.
But the story isnít over as it has just begun. The newly re-named
"Mayor Moonbeam" knows the current form of government, which features a
weak mayor and a strong city manager doesnít cut it. He wants to change
this, so he has initiated a ballot initiative to change it, so he can
have real power as a mayor, and take credit for the economic windfall
which is already beginning to take place all ready in the city.
This move will set him up for his next presidential run in the next
millennium, but this bait and switch has some black folks crying foul.
Although they want the change, these blacks feel this new found ground
swell of support for a strong mayor, by white folks, was nowhere to be
found when the colored and Negro mayor were in charge and put similar
proposals on the ballot. White folks didnít want this form of government
then, but they do now. Hmmm.
The plot thickens for Moonbeam and he has a crisis on his hands. How
can he explain this newfound interest by white voters for a strong
mayoral form of government, to his black constituents? Besides this
public relations fiasco, Moonbeam has made a lot of promises on the
campaign, which people will make sure he will keep each step of the way.
"Mayor Moonbeam" has to bring business to town, after spewing a boatload
of anti-corporate rhetoric; Gentrification is a major issue as many
people feel Mayor Moonbeam" wonít say a word as a whole sections of
black communities are moved out of town by yuppies like himself; and the
issue of crime, which he tells black crowds isnít that bad, but in white
crowds, he gives a Nixon-like law and order spill, as he talks about
"zero tolerance."
"Mayor Moonbeam" is a must see and this play has a run date of four
years, but it could be cut short if Moonbeam decides to leave the play
in boredom, which is a real possibility considering the flakiness of the
star.
Lee Hubbard can be reached by e-mail at superle@hotmail.com
written by
Lee Hubbard
For interview requests, questions or comments call Lee Hubbard at
(415)671-0449 or e-mail him at superle@hotmail.com.
Look at your nearest
newsstand for his profile on Latrell Sprewell in the premiere issue of
the Source Sports magazine and his profile on Ishmael Reed in the
April/May issue of American Visions Magazine.
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