Brandon Kyle Goodman’s Dark Comedy The Latrell Show

Big Mouth writer/actor Brandon Kyle Goodman’s solo show, The Latrell Show, takes a darkly humorous look at the mental gymnastics that come with being Black and queer in the country today through the eyes of the highly opinionated fictional talk show host Latrell Jackson.

Written and performed by the nonbinary actor, writer, and activist Goodman (who uses the pronouns he/they), The Latrell Show was filmed on stage at the Pico Playhouse May 23, but is available for streaming through June 27 at the IAMA Theatre Company.

Co-directed by Stefanie Black and Devere Rogers, The Latrell Show follows the fictional Latrell Jackson as he films a “very special” episode. The vivacious and gay Jackson begins the show with his usual series of rants, but as his topics expand to cover racism, trauma, prejudice, and other worldly matters, the show (and his character) are transformed into something far more powerful.

Goodman gained attention as a writer on Big Mouth and its spin-off Human Resources, the latter in which he also voices a character. They gained national attention and support for their embrace of activism and change in a social media post that went viral last year during the George Floyd-inspired Black Lives Matter protests.

They told sister Pride Media publication The Advocate as a young person they were “steeped in self-hatred for my Blackness, for my queerness, for my body, for me” and they “started writing plays, sketches, and making videos” that helped center their Black queer identity. They’re making sure now that other BIPOC youth know their lives matter.

“I’m…committed to making sure that every little Black, brown, POC, queer kid, teenager, adult knows that they are of value,” he told The Advocate earlier this year. “That they are beautiful. That they matter.”

Married to Matthew Raymond-Goodman, he’s also the person behind two podcasts: Do the Work which looks at race and relationships, and Black Folx, a conversational series on Black personalities and experiences. He’s currently writing his first book which will dwell at the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality through his own unique brand of storytelling.

You can learn more about The Latrell Show and view a virtual performance at the IAMA Theatre website (www.iamatheatre.com). The Latrell Show can be streamed through June 27.