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| Lillie Richardson and Calvin Worthen photo by Laura Durant |
Click here for more information on this production that runs through March 17th.
"During the summer of 1967 the city of Detroit experienced racial unrest when violence erupted between police and African-American residents...With arson and looting of over 2,000 stores, more than 1,000 injured, and 40+ people killed, it was a bloodbath that went on for five days, finally ended after President Johnson called in military reinforcements. Playwright Dominique Morisseau was born in Detroit and her play Detroit '67, the first in her three-play cycle titled "The Detroit Projects," depicts the impact the riots had on a brother and sister and their friends in the area. While it isn't a perfect play, its local premiere in a co-production by Black Theatre Troupe and Tempe Center for the Arts has a gifted group of actors who inhabit their roles and an ending that delivers hope for the fictional characters. Morisseau knows how to write realistic dialogue and create fairly three-dimensional characters, but at 2-½ hours, including intermission, and with repetitive moments and little drama in the first 30 minutes, it's too bad she didn't tighten the piece up to make it even more riveting and moving....Director Ralph Remington has found a talented cast who create believable characters, but he also doesn't help with the pacing of this production which is a bit slow in parts. ..
As Chelle, Lillie Richardson beautifully evokes the cautious and grounded woman who wants something solid in her and her family's life. Richardson perfectly projects strength and a hard exterior yet we clearly see in her steady performance the fear and uncertainty that is always just underneath Chelle's exterior. Calvin Worthen is equally as good as Lank, an ambitious man who wants more from life and is looking to build something for their future. The two create a natural bond as this close-knit brother and sister. ...While Detroit '67 isn't as deep or profound in how it approaches social issues and racism as other plays that tackle the subject, the characters Morisseau has created are intriguing and the powerful and positive ending is quite moving. Over fifty years after the riots in Detroit, it still clearly resonates today with almost daily news of police violence against African Americans and other minorities." -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)
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