Woke-ish

Marlon Wayans brings the same rubber-faced, hyper-athletic physicality to his stand-up debut that defined his 1990s sketch work and film career. Performing at The Theater at MGM National Harbor, near Washington, D.C., Wayans uses his entire body to bridge the gap between his screen persona and the microphone. He spends a significant portion of the hour throwing himself into physical bits, whether he is humping a stool, aggressively slapping his microphone, or jumping into the crowd to hug white audience members during a riff on O.J. Simpson.

Released in 2018 while Wayans was starring in his self-titled NBC sitcom, Woke-ish positions him as an observer who wants to stay culturally relevant but admits he is only halfway there. He spends considerable time on generational divides, contrasting classic hip-hop with modern mumble rap and imagining aging rappers writing verses about arthritis and diabetes. However, his attempt to address contemporary social shifts received significant pushback. Critics noted a sharp contrast between his tender moments, like recounting his teenage daughter coming out to him, and his regressive, outdated caricatures of LGBTQ+ figures, particularly during an extended segment about Caitlyn Jenner.