Cuttin’ Up tells the story of three barbers: Howard, a knowing, 50-year veteran of the trade (Ed Wheeler), Andre, a roaming middle-aged ladies’ man (Peter Jay Fernandez) and Rudy, a street-wise newbie lacking in the punctuality department (Psalmayene 24). Andre’s confrontation of his past and his future provides the play’s driving plot, but it is the relationships between the three barbers– Andre’s loyalty to Rudy, Rudy and Howard’s begrudging appreciation of each other in spite of a generation gap, and the father/son dynamic between Andre and Howard – which give it deeper meaning.

The play provides an excellent blend of humor and wisdom that goes down easily. Snappy one-liners (tight braids are the “poor man’s facelift”) are as plentiful as serious social commentary (everything from war to AIDS is discussed frankly and without heavy-handedness). One particularly deft scene involves a single mother entering a barbershop from Andre’s past and solemnly asks if she can bring her three boys to observe the shop for the day to see “black men doing something positive,” a request which brings tears to a young barber’s eyes and brings the audience there in the process. Cuttin’ Up may leave you feeling “schooled”, but you’re hardly resentful of the fact afterwards.

The set shifts cleanly between the warm barbershop and a fantasy night club, which represents the ghosts of Andre’s past. The costumers and hairstylists deserve attention for their ambitious use of wigs to create various looks – and realistic onstage haircuts, to boot. And this “play with music” interweaves R&B and jazz music in a way that brings added soul and weight to the piece without feeling superfluous.