Sister Act
“Speaking of comedic bits— it comes in a trio of sprinkles—TJ (Danny Dance), Pablo (Tyrus Mataban), and Joey (Julian Vega.) And these three sprinkles are the perfect topping to the Villains Curtis (Jae Jones.) While Dance, Mataban, and Vega take up the comedic side of the darkness, when it comes to antagonizing characters, they serve in perfect opposition to Jones’ darker, more frightening characterization. There is an icy-death stare in Jones’ eyes when he sings “When I Find My Baby” and it’s unsettling to put it mildly. He maintains that edgy darkness to his character portrayal with superior consistency and never cracks, making him that much more intense in some of those really scary moments. Dance might just be the ringleader of the three adorable comedic clowns, his background chewing antics are aces and he leads Mataban and Vega through what is arguably the most intentionally hilarious and equal parts stupid-humor number in the show “Lady in the Long Black Dress.” Though when the trio appears for “The Chase” in their Nun-gear…it’s epically uproarious.
THEATRE BLOOM REVIEW
Seven Guitars
Spotlighters Theatre: Directed by Benjamin Isaiah
Seven Guitars (1948) is an August Wilson play in which friends in a Pittsburgh backyard mourn the recent death of Floyd "Schoolboy" Barton, a blues guitarist who died just as his career was taking off. Through flashbacks, it shows Floyd trying to overcome systemic hardships and personal mistakes to achieve stardom in Chicag
Reviews
https://www.theatrebloom.com/2026/01/seven-guitars-at-spotlighters-theatre/
As Floyd, Jae Jones sparks like a live wire. There’s something intrinsically jumpy about the way Jones channels this character, almost as if the character’s essence physically cannot sit still. This is present even when Jones is standing still, though often times he’s moving about, allowing this energy to move his body, body language, and facial expressions— in addition to his voice— all around the play space.
Reviews
Jae Jones delivers a phenomenal performance as Floyd Barton, capturing both the swagger of a man convinced of his greatness and the vulnerability of someone desperate to be seen. Jones navigates Floyd’s contradictions with ease: his charm and carelessness, his passion and his selfishness. When Floyd speaks of music, of Chicago, of the future that surely awaits him, Jones makes the audience want to believe right along with him. Yet he never allows Floyd’s charisma to excuse his failings, particularly the emotional cost inflicted on the women in his life. It is a layered and compelling portrayal that makes Floyd magnetic even when he is at his most frustrating.