An ensemble that mixes it up

CHAPEL HILL -- Universes wants to move you with verse, then rap 16 bars in your face.

The four-person performance group from the Bronx tries to make you think with a riveting scene and to sing a song that'll lift you up before it slams you down.

If you can handle the ride, you can see Universes' unique blend of theater in Chapel Hill this week. PlayMakers Repertory Company, the professional theater at UNC-CH, is sponsoring six performances of "The Big Bang" at Kenan Theater.

"It's kind of our greatest hits type of thing," says Steven Sapp, a founding member of the company self-described as a poetic theater music ensemble.

"Some see us as a theater company," Sapp says. "They see us do poetry and music and theater and are like, 'Oh, my God, wow. I didn't know they could do that.' Then we go to a poetry club, and it's the same thing."

For "The Big Bang," Universes gleaned pieces as far back as 1997. The members also be working out pieces to fulfill a new commission they just received.

Universes' "Ameriville," which just finished a successful run in Denver, fits PRC² - Playmakers' second-stage series that seeks to get people talking about socially and politically relevant topics - says Joseph Haj, producing artistic director at PlayMakers.

For instance, in "Ameriville," Universes asks, "Whether you like it or not, there's a Katrina growing in your neighborhood. ... When it comes to your city or your town, will you be ready?"

Universes will discuss each night's work with the audience after each show.

Haj has been eager to get Universes to whatever theater he ended up at since he first saw the group work in Louisville more than five years ago.

He was directing a play at Louisville's 2004 Humana Festival for New American Plays. While directing a piece, he wrestled with a scene that had two actors delivering monologues on top of each other.

"I couldn't frame it. It was chaos, and I couldn't get it," Haj says.

He had been watching Universes from the wings and thought they were unbelievably gifted. He reached out to Sapp and fellow Universes performer Melinda Ruiz-Sapp to help him figure out a way to let his actors trade off without undercutting each other.

They worked it out for Haj. Since then, he has followed Universes, which also includes William "Ninja" Ruiz and Gamal Chasten. This is the first chance Haj has had to get the group to Chapel Hill since a two-show run his first year at PlayMakers in 2007.

"I've seen them become more sophisticated," he says. "They have unbelievable communication skills. It has been thrilling to watch them mature as an ensemble."