"Paradise Blue" at Aurora Theatre Company

 

Aurora Theatre Company production photo

I have been looking forward to this show for a while. Having seen Aurora's production of Dominique Morisseau's Detroit '67 a few years ago, I was looking forward to another installment from her trilogy (the third part of which, Skeleton Crew, I missed in a couple of venues not long ago). And we were blown away by Morisseau's Confederates last summer at Ashland. So there's a lot to look forward to.

The Play

Thematically, this seems very similar to August Wilson's Two Trains Running, which we saw recently at Marin Theatre Company. That play deals with urban renewal in Pittsburgh, but many of the issues feel familiar here in Detroit. Instead of a diner we have a jazz club, the Paradise Club, struggling to survive as its owner, Blue, considers selling the club to the city. Blue is struggling with memories of family conflicts past, haunted by memories of his father who owned the club before him. And he has either fired or caused to resign the bass player from his quartet, leaving pianist Corn and drummer P-Sam wondering about their future.

Meanwhile, Blue's girlfriend, Pumpkin, is learning to recite poetry while she cooks, cleans, and generally cares for everyone in the club. And then the femme fatale Silver arrives from out of town, bringing chaos in her wake.

Morisseau draws all five of the characters brilliantly: everyone's got issues, but they've all got strengths and interdependencies, too. No one is just there to advance the plot for someone else.

The Production

The designers have done some great work on this one, managing to maintain two spaces on Aurora's small thrust stage without causing unnecessary movements. The Paradise Club proper takes up the back of the stage, including a little bar in the corner with a few tables and chairs that mostly stay in place. The front of the stage holds Silver's rented room above the club, dominated by the bed. But with good lighting (designed by Stephanie Anne Johnson) and clever management of entrances and exits, neither room interferes with the other, and sometimes we can watch what's happening in both. Really nice work there.

Director Dawn Monique Williams gets a lot out of her cast. Titus VanHook (Blue) isn't totally convincing as he mimes playing his trumpet (while recordings of Geechi Taylor provide the sound), but he definitely embodies the emotional turmoil brewing below the surface. Michael J. Asberry (Corn) and Kenny Scott (P-Sam) do a terrific job trying to work together to preserve their band, while also defending their individual interests. They embody "coopetition". Having seen Scott in three or four different shows recently, I have to say this is definitely his best work overall.

I find it kind of ironic that I chose the photo of the three men above, which I thought captured a lot of the energy of their relationship in the play, because the play is really dominated by the two women From the opening words, where Pumpkin (Anna Marie Sharpe) is trying to learn a poem while sweeping up the club, through many scenes of her trying to manage the volatile Blue and the other men, it's clear where the real conflict in this show lies. And Rolanda D. Bell as Silver dominates every scene she's in, whether she opens her mouth or not. 

Bottom Line

Once again, I'm blown away by a Dominique Morisseau script. She is a terrific playwright, quickly becoming one of my favorites. And Aurora is really hitting its stride, I think, under the new management of Artistic Director Josh Costello and Asssociate A.D. Williams. I missed their last show, but the season opener (This Much I Know) was really terrific. I look forward to seeing the rest of the season.

Paradise Blue runs through February 26th, so you can still catch it!