David Talbert says he’s OK with comparisons to Tyler Perry.
“There’s Coke and Pepsi and Apple and IBM,” he said. “There’s a difference between everyone who is creative. Everybody has their own sensibilities and how they see the world. We perform to different audiences, but there’s a commonality that strikes a chord with the audience.”
Talbert is an actor, writer, producer and director, just like Perry.
Talbert’s newest production, “What My Husband Doesn’t Know,” will be performed at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts’ Bill Heard Theatre on Sunday.
Talbert’s other shows include “Tellin’ it Like it Tiz,” “Love on Layaway,” “The Fabric of a Man” and “Mr. Right Now.”
The new show, Talbert said, is a thriller.
“It’s a little different” he said than his other plays. “It’s kind of ‘Fatal Attraction’ and ‘Single White Female.’ It’s a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.”
It’s about a married couple (Morris Chestnut and Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child). The husband is busy with his very successful construction company that he neglects his wife. She becomes involved with one of her husband’s employees who comes to fix something at the house.
He says with this type of show the audience will get involved and it’s expected that audience members will yell things like, “Girl, watch out!”
“It’s call and response,” he said. “It’s the medium I love the most. It’s an extension of the church.”
Talbert plans to be in Columbus Sunday when the show is performed.
“I travel to some markets,” he said, “especially when I’m putting in new actors. I love interacting with the audience. I’ll shake hands and kiss babies. I’ll be there.”
He also likes to come out and introduce the show and thank the audience.
Talbert took a year to develop “What My Husband Doesn’t Know.” Because of the “all those roller coaster moments, I didn’t want to rush it.”
Right now, he’s working on a Broadway musical. He also announced plans recently to use Actors’ Equity members. Actors’ Equity is a union that represents actors.
“It would cost more, but some performers are worth that cost,” Talbert said. “And Broadway has some of the best performers on the planet.”
He hopes to one day be able to work with actor Denzel Washington.
Talbert’s first movie, “First Sunday, starring Ice Cube, Tracy Morgan and Katt Williams, was released in 2008.
He’d love to release a movie version of “What My Husband Doesn’t Know.”
“We’re looking to film it with Morris,” he said. “That’s the goal.”
