Nowhere is this more obvious than in his latest stage effort, Madea's Neighbors From Hell. Unlike previous plays by the multi-hyphenated talent, there is only one main storyline line. Perry has decided to take up the cause of children, or specifically in this case, abused and used foster kids. In the past, his productions have always had a kind of "minors should be seen and not heard" old school stratagem in his narrative, complete with respecting one's elders, learning good manners, and understanding that things were better "back" in the day. Now, we have confused pre-adolescents, Karen (Chelsea Reynolds), Tay (Kimani Jackson), and Shannon (Jaynma Brown) who are being exploited by a woman named Ruth (Rhonda Davis) for the cash she gets from the State for their care and protection. Naturally, Madea and Aunt Bam (Cassi Davis) discover this fact and report her to CPS, specifically do-nothing social worker Patti (Alexis Hollins) and her boss Clay (Wess Morgan).

From the very beginning, we know where this material is going. Even with all the wonderful musical padding and gospel scatting employed, it's a plot point eventuality that Madea will have a standoff with Ruth, putting her and the entire system in their place while pontificating on old school music and "it takes a village" viabilities. Getting there is half the battle with Madea's Neighbors from Hell, though the creator at least allows his villain a chance to be wicked without going into full bore moustache twirling mode. That being said, this is also the perfect vehicle for this new version of Perry's plays. Madea 2.0 has gone from back sassing battle axe to prescient spokesperson. She is literally the character that says what everyone, including the audience, is thinking. When the kids act up, she puts them in their place. When it looks like bureaucracy and cronyism will countermand common sense, Madea's got the punchline laced put down. Instead of morality tales, Perry is now merely moralizing...and, frankly, it's a lot of fun.

Indeed, for anyone who grew up in the era of actual parenting, Neighbors from Hell is a breath of retro air. Perry's main message has always been "firm...but with feeling." Now, it's "save these struggling adolescents before their undermine everything" - and he means EVERYTHING. You get the sense in his recent work that Perry is perturbed by a society which sees victimization as a means to a legitimate ends and entitlement as a status to strive for. Education, hard work, and God? Forget it. Madea, on the other hand, won't let it go. Instead, she argues - effectively, one might add - that going back to basics is also recognizing where you came from. As a middle aged man, Perry recognizes that during the '60s and '70s, the Civil Rights movement was still in its infancy, adjusting to wins while still suffering horrific defeats. Our current political clime argues that we haven't come all that far. Luckily, Perry understands what works in 2014, and it's his entire "get right or get gone" shtick. It's what makes Madea's Neighbors from Hell worthwhile.

THE DVD:
In these days of HD streaming and smartphones that can handle such 1080p processing, reviewing the image of a DVD seems pointless. Still, the anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer here is terrific. There is a boldness in the play's color scheme that pops off the screen and any good Blu-ray player seems to upgrade the visuals considerably. Similarly, the sound situation is excellent. There is still a tendency to fade out from the songs so we don't hear the audience's rapturous applause, but the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix sure provides a fine in-theater experience and sensation. As for added content, we get the typical Perry stuff. There's a basic behind the scenes which shows backstage activities interspersed with interviews with the cast. It's fun, and what we've become to expect from offerings like this.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Though Aunt Bam can never take the place of Mr. Brown and Cora (sadly, David and Tamala Mann are so popular on the gospel singing circuit right now they no longer have time for Perry's roadshow barnburning), there's no need for anyone else except for Madea here. These Neighbors From Hell may be light in the melodrama department, but they provide an excellent outlet for their star's sage wisdom. Earning an easy Recommended rating, this play once again proves that no one knows their audience better than Tyler Perry. While his film fortunes may fade, his live theater tenure is more than secure

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