Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth

Cover Photo-Mike Tyson on the red carpet. Inside Photo-Tyson displays his signature tattoo on the carpet. Both photos by TL-Dubs Images, Lamar Webster.

By Buddy Sampson

Have you ever sat down and had a beer or a glass of wine with your favorite homie, home boy or home girl and they tell you a very interesting story of some strange but true things that happened to them when they were younger? Mike Tyson’s one man show, “Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth,” directed by film legend Spike Lee, does just that. In the opening minutes of his show, now playing at Pantages in Hollywood for three nights only, Friday March 8, 2013, Saturday March 9, 2013 and Sunday March 10, 2013, Tyson invites you into “his living room,” and does it in very entertaining fashion.

Mary Carey, who has movies on HBO/Cinemax, including "The All Babe Network,"was one of several celebrities that attended the opening of "Mike Tyson:Undisputed Truth." Photo by TL-Dubs Images, Lamar Webster.

Celebrities came out in big fashion including Mary Carey, Windell Middlebrooks of the Miller Lite commercials and several others. One of them was Obba Babatunde, who starred in such movies as “The Manchurian Candidate,” “John Q,” “The Silence of the Lambs,” and has a new TV show , “Cult” that will be on the CW Network. “I’m excited about Mike Tyson getting an opportunity to do his show,” said Babatunde. “What you do is not necessarily who you are, in this production you get to know who Mike Tyson is.”

Obba Babatunde. Photo by TL-Dubs Images, Lamar Webster.

Mike Tyson, who appeared on the red carpet, was candid about his feeling about the play. “When you look at the production, you’ll see my life, where I went, where I’ve been, where I’ve descended to again and you see where I’m going now,” said Tyson, who is working on a biographical book on his life and will be featured in “Scary Movie 5.” He seemed very happy to receive positive attention regarding the success of the play. “I like to think that my success is different than most people’s successes, “said Mike Tyson, who is considering signing on to “Hangover 3” after the successes of the previous two Hangover installments.  “Most people, they may want finance, they may want sexual gratification, they want to live life on life’s terms.  My success is staying out of prison, my success is being faithful to my wife and not giving her a venereal disease, being awake and being aware and conscious of my children. It’s being something that I’ve never been before.”

Kiki Tyson. Photo by TL-Dubs Images, Lamar Webster.

In the 90 minute performance, written by his wife Kiki Tyson, created by Adam Steck, presented by James L. Nederlander and Executive Produced by Mike Tyson, Kiki Tyson and Adam Steck, Tyson spoke about many of the incidents that were portrayed in the media, such as his well-publicized fight with boxer Mitch Green, his public divorce from Robin Givens and his revelation of a night when Givens bought a young Brad Pitt to her house only to have Tyson waiting in the wings. It was quite a hilarious story, to say the least. Tyson has undoubtedly reinvented himself. Charming, funny and articulate at times, Tyson was engaging. He chronicled his life from a younger time, from being a street thug to being mentored by “Cus” D‘ Amato, who served as a father figure to the young, troubled, but talented fighter.

Mike Tyson’s Undisputed Truth gives the audience a view into his life, not defined by the media, but on his terms. He also spoke of his conviction of rape charges, wildly thought, even by media to be an erroneous judgment by the justice system. He spoke of a visit in jail by Brady Bunch legend Florence Henderson, which was hilarious. Poignant moments in the show included when he spoke of the death of his mother and his daughter, moments which were defining moments of his life.

Tyson, in his interviews and in his stage performance shows all the signs of having matured through a variety of mishaps and tribulations. His show is a must-see. Although his performance in Los Angeles is only for one more night, if you want to catch his one man show, visit www.facebook.com/MikeTysonOnTour. And prepare to sit down and be entertained by an old homie in his living room.

Windell Middlebrooks. Photo by TL-Dubs Images, Lamar Webster.