The Downtown Independent Theater in Los Angeles was packed to capacity on Sept. 8 for the premiere of Carlton Jordan’s Poz Roz. Enthusiastic audience members with their popcorn and drinks shuffled into the theater, ready to be entertained. But, the night would become more than just a moment for entertainment. It would become a much needed pow wow of sorts, with meaningful lessons to last a lifetime.
Poz Roz is about a 28-year-old black woman, Rozzlyn Mayweather, who finds out she is HIV positive after a rough night out celebrating Black Gay Pride with her best male pal, Stacey. The dark comedy follows her journey as she learns how to deal with the diagnosis, while living out her life. Funny, emotionally riveting and at times, ratchet as hell, Poz Roz gives us a glimpse inside the world of HIV that is often dismissed as “such a 90s thing” and even clues us into the conversations among the LGBTQ and “I” community, as was so well explained in the first episode.
The premiere event kicked off with the first three episodes of the digital series. The first episode, ‘I Luh LGBTQ’ introduces us to the fun-loving and beautiful Rozzlyn, played by Chauntae Pink. She appears to be the girl next door just looking for a good time. She’s genuinely optimistic, even while recovering from a complicated divorce to the straight-turned-gay Jabbar, played by actor Malachi Rivers. Her storyline is compelling throughout.
Her close friend Stacey, played by Steven Clark, nearly steals the show and also brings a light-hearted touch to the drama. Charismatic and ambitious, Stacey shows up and shows out as the cool best friend that we’ve always wanted. He revels in his confidence, reassuring the audience that this is a safe place to be yourself. Stacey leaves the impression that there’s more to him than what meets the eye. It will be interesting to see how this character evolves alongside Rozzlyn.
The fallout and aftermath of Rozzlyn’s diagnosis unravels in the second and third episodes. There’s a total of 13 episodes, which were released on YouTube the same night of the premiere.
The series, casted by Natasha Ward, features Rozzlyn’s best friends Rochelle, played by Aisha Lomax and Amber, played by Melissa L. Williams. Other actors include Thomas Hobson, Johnny Ramey, Hari Williams, Mike Strong, Amen Igbinosun and comedian Alycia Cooper. The makeup beat for the cast was created by the one and only celebrity makeup artist Reginald Raphael.
took place on Sunday, Sept. 8 at the Downtown Independent Theater in Los Angeles.
Poz Roz is the definition of delivering medicine wrapped in candy. The multi-hyphen creator, Carlton Jordan, does a spectacular job with the writing and directing. Not only does he develop the characters in a way that they are relatable and endearing, but he also navigates sensitive topics with a level of care and awareness that can be appreciated by both the LGBTQ community and black folks.
When asked what influenced him to write this series, Jordan referenced his career as a blogger in which he ran across an article that chronicled the life of a black woman in Atlanta living with HIV. Inspired, Jordan believed that this was a story that needed to be told. There are so many dynamics explored in the series, including the relationships between black women, the carefully treaded path of differing segments of LGBTQ life, and lastly, the often complex relationship between men and women. Jordan is able to show the healthy side of all these dynamics.
Poz Roz is must-watch, made for TV programming. There’s no doubt about it.
To watch episodes of Poz Roz, click here.
