In 2015, Penumbra Theatre produced Dominique Morisseau's
Detroit '67, the first of her three-play series known as The Detroit Project, set in her hometown. Now almost ten years later, they're bringing us the second play in the series,
Paradise Blue. In between they've produced a few other plays by Morrisseau, and we've seen the final Detroit play
Skeleton Crew at Yellow Tree and the Guthrie (directed by Austene Van who was in
Detroit '67). So if you're an avid #TCTheater goer, this is your long-awaited chance to complete this trilogy. But don't worry if you haven't seen any of the others; the three plays are stand-alone, set in different decades and featuring different characters and storylines. But what they have in common is the beautifully real and relevant way they explore Black culture in Detroit specifically, and in America as a whole. From the 1967 Detroit Riot, to the closing of an auto plant in the late aughts recession, and in this play - a jazz club in the late '40s. A fantastic cast and stunning design bring this powerful story to vivid life on Penumbra's stage,
continuing through March 9.
Paradise Blue is set in 1949 in the Black Bottom and Paradise Valley neighborhoods of Detroit, which were demolished in the '60s to make way for the construction of a freeway (
a familiar story - a similar thing happened to St. Paul's Rondo neighborhood where Penumbra is located). In the '30s and '40s, Paradise Valley was the center of the blues and jazz scene in Detroit. This is the rich world in which Morisseau sets her story of Blue, trumpet player and owner of the Paradise Club, which he inherited from his father, also a trumpet player. But the love of and talent for music is not the only thing he inherited from his father; he also inherited a history of trauma, violence, and mental illness. He can see that the neighborhood is changing, and plans to sell the club to the city and move to Chicago. His girlfriend Pumpkin, who works at the club and also cooks and cleans for the residents of the upstairs rooms-for-rent, doesn't want to leave her home, which causes tension in their already fraught relationship. Band members Corn(elius) and P(ercussion)-Sam just want to play their music. Into this world comes the spark club Silver, a mysterious and alluring woman who takes a room upstairs, and has plans of her own. All of these forces collide with tragic results.
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| Mikell Sapp as Blue (photo courtesy of Penumbra) |
Penumbra's founder Lou Bellamy directs the play, as he did
Detroit '67 and the other Morisseau plays produced in the interim. As always, his direction and storytelling are clear and effective, balancing the humor and tragedy of the piece, emphasizing the flawed humanity of the characters. And his cast really couldn't be better. Mikell Sapp gives a haunting and haunted performance as the tortured Blue, trying to make a life for himself amidst the ghosts of his past. Nubia Monks, who burst onto the #TCTheater scene
last year with a number of unforgettable performances, gives a quieter performance here as the sweet and compliant Pumpkin, but with sparks of life when Pumpkin recites her beloved poetry, and later finds her strength. Veteran stage actor Lester Purry is such a joy to watch, so effortlessly natural that you can't see any Acting, he just
is Corn. Darrick Mosley plays the genial P-Sam, and provides some much needed humor. Last but definitely not least, Angela Wildflower is making a #TCTheater debut that won't soon be forgotten; she commands attention every time Silver steps on stage, with a slow mesmerizing walk and a supreme sense of confidence - this is a woman who knows what she wants and how to get it.
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Corn (Lester Purry) and Pumpkin (Nubia Monks)
at the club (photo courtesy of Penumbra) |
The play takes place entirely in the Paradise Club, realistically rendered on the Penumbra stage with a bar along the back, a small stage set-up on the right, and a few tables in front. A secondary location is Silver's room upstairs, which is revealed when a large panel above and behind the bar is lifted and we can see into this tiny room with bed, record player, and vanity. The back wall is covered with a large black-and-white photo of a street scene, presumably Detroit, giving us a sense of place. The just-right lighting effects complement the design, the all-important sound of music fills the club, and the period- and place-specific costume design is a true delight. The men are dressed in colorful suits and matching two-toned shoes, Pumpkin wears a couple of lovely but conservative dresses, and Silver somehow managed to fit an array of fabulous outfits into her suitcase - off-the-shoulder, body-hugging, leopard print, pops of red - each one an attention-grabbing show-stopper. (Scenic design by Maruti Evans, lighting design by Marcus Dilliard, sound design and composition by Gregory Robinson, and costume design by Wanda Walden.)
This administration may be trying to erase African American history (which is American history) and Black culture (which is inextricable from American culture), but theaters like Penumbra continue to shine a light on our past in a way that's meaningful and resonant. And as audiences we can continue to support diversity of programming that espouses our shared values.
