Even if, God forbid, you were deaf, mute and blind you could still identify that Sheldon Best is a superlative artist and will, if duplicating a marathon runners pace and steely determination, achieve a career that will richly reward him.
He's got that magical "something" that turns a first glance turn into a serious gaze.
Currently, Best is starring in the Atlantic Theater Company's new stage adaptation of The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner.
As re-imagined by British playwright Roy Williams (based on Alan Sillitoe's original 1959 short story and adapted for film in 1962), the Atlantic Theater company does what they do best, take risks and spring board new and exciting talent.
The taunt drama (set in the early 70's) centers on racial tension in class-obsessed London. A world where young Colin, an angry and aimless youth with a yearning for long-distance running, reluctantly calls home.
He's short on ambition and long on seething resentment. That aimless energy finds him imprisoned and therefore more confined but everything bad falls away when Colin is running. Coerced by the prison warden to enter a race , against a posh school, Colin is allowed free time to train outside the prison walls.
He pushes his body to go forward funneling his jagged disappointment into each stride.
If Colin could switch heaven for an unending running path he would contemplate bliss while in eternal, perpetual motion.
There's a hibernating intellect brewing in Best. Paradoxically his performance scared me and comforted me.
Closing on Feb 9th, I strongly suggest you witness Best's eye opening performance.
Some of his credits include Classical Theater of Harlem: A Midsummer Nights Dream (Puck) and Ma-Yi & Vampire Cowboys: Geek!
Here's what Sheldon Best had to share about his spot on London accent and why he loves Brooklyn.
myNewYorkeye: Sheldon where is that dangerously sexy Brit accent? OMG your not British?!
Sheldon Best: (Slipping into the missing accent) I'm not? My parents are from the islands (Jamaica and Barbados). I was raised in Brooklyn. The Brit accent is loosely formed from all of the cultural influences that have shaped London. I also get to speak patois in the play. My Spanish is decent along with my French.
myNewYorkeye: Wicked: How did you convince director, Leach C. Gardiner, to trust (and pardon me for this) "a Yankee" for this essentially British role?
Sheldon Best: I went on a campaign to acquire the role which drove my agent nuts. I'm a fan of the Atlantic Theater Company so I immersed myself. When the audition finally materialized I was ready to accept the challenge.
myNewYorkeye: You are running for most of the play. How long have you been a long distance runner?
Sheldon Best: I'm not a marathoner runner.
myNewYorkeye: Not British and not a runner. Your body is ripped and slender: nike said "just do it" and you obeyed.
Sheldon Best: (laughing) I enjoy roles that demand key physical acts from my character(s). I've played a boxer on stage and now I'm a long-distance runner. Next, I hope will be an action/adventure film that pushes me even more.
myNewYorkeye: What do you love about our city?
Sheldon Best: The diversity that changes from subway stop to subway stop. Each borough has its own sound, smell and other world feeling. Brooklyn is home to me.
myNewYorkeye: Brooklyn rocks. Where's your favorite place to eat and re-charge?
Sheldon Best: Definitely inside my mothers' kitchen. All of my big decisions have been made over her home made Jamaican stew peas with dumplings.
THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER by Alan Sillitoe. Stage adaptation by Roy Williams, directed by Leach C. Gardiner. US Premiere. Atlantic Stage 2, 330 W 16th St. Closing 2/9. 80 mins.