Austene Van and Darius Dotch

Detroit '67 takes place entirely in the basement of the home Chelle and her younger brother Lank have recently inherited from their parents. They are getting set to host house parties down there: after-hours affairs with liquor (served illegally, without a license) and music to inspire dancing "till the walls sweat" to raise the money needed to pay off what is owed on the house. There was also a cash portion of the inheritance, which Chelle, who is a widow, wants to use for her son's college education. Lank, however, has other ideas. He and his best buddy Sly have their eye on a neighborhood bar for sale, and are determined to work for themselves, free of the cycle of hiring and firing in the factories. Lank sees the bar as a great opportunity; Chelle sees it as a way for their parents' hard-earned money to go down the drain.

In the midst of this conflict, Lank and Sly bring home an unconscious, bloodied white woman (Chelle, Lank, and Sly are Black) they found stumbling about in a risky neighborhood. When Lank approached to ask if she needed help, she roared "Get me out of here!" before passing out. Lank figures that when she awakes, she can tell them who to call, or where to drive her. However, Chelle understands that a white woman—one clearly in some serious trouble, at that—in their home, puts them all in harm's way.

As we see the stirrings of something more than good Samaritanism in Lank's feelings for her, Sly's attempts to break through Chelle's protective crust with tenderness, and meet Bunny, Chelle's sassy friend whose word can make or break a party, the riots break out. The parties come to a halt, their property is at risk, and Caroline's troubled past adds fuel to the threat Lank faces.

The play wonderfully puts us in the arms of decent people pursuing their own dreams—owning a small business, reclaiming family homes, educating their children—who seek no part in the issues outside their doors that are sending buildings up in flames and shooting bullets at their neighbors. It makes no difference, the larger world is their world, and they cannot avoid its torrential force. Lank—called Lank for short, his full name being Langston, in honor of Langston Hughes—has a poet's view of the possibilities that can unfold in a life. Chelle—short for Michelle, but an apt name for someone encased in a shell of responsibility—is the older sibling who knows that life's choices are far more limited, and that there is wisdom—and safety—in just making the best of things as they are.

Structurally, Detroit '67 is fairly traditional, telling its story in linear fashion with characters that are fully believable, whole individuals. Shirley Jo Finney's direction keeps everything and everyone connected to one another. There are no dangling threads or digressions that don't tie right back in to move the story or deepen the feelings. Every word of dialogue rings true.

The cast is letter perfect. Chelle emerges as the central character, and Austene Van creates a full character, carrying the pain of losses in her life, practical, serious, skeptical, and totally loyal to those who matter most: her son and her brother. She has formed a crust to protect her from further hurt, and she makes plain the toll of carrying that crust takes on her spirit. Darius Dotch's Lank is all energy, determined to go for something more, kind-hearted and a bit too innocent for his own good.

James T. Alfred as Sly is a steady presence, there to support his main-man Lank, but also seeking a way through Chelle's crust, knowing innately that if given the chance, he could be good for her. As Bunny, Jamecia Bennett brings a comic flair, with her outlandish bee-hive hairdo, and tips on pulling off a great party. She has a female swagger that suggests she is her own woman, but lets us see that she also has a place in her heart for Lank, if he would only see through her off-handed teasing. Elizabeth Efteland appears as a complete cipher early on in the play, a total mystery—and bit by bit, fills in pieces of behaviors, past history, fears, dreams, so that we feel the same discovery in getting to know her that Lank experiences.

Mathew LeFebvre and Sarah Brandner have created a beautiful setting. Wooden stairs descend to a basement that looks a real as any I have known: Kentile floor, a fuse box on the wall, a hot water heater in the corner, painted cinder block walls, the mid-century modern bar, worn and nondescript sofa, and a card table with mismatched folding chairs. Through one highly placed window, we see the coming and going of sunlight. Thanks to Martin Gwinup's fine sound and video design, we hear bits of news reports, the buzz of the parties, the rumbling of Lank's car, and the tumult of the riots. Projections create a host of partygoers in silhouette, and also the presence of rioters. Aaron Chvatal has caught the fashion sense of 1967 to a T, with Chelle's stylish but subdued wardrobe, Bunny dressed to be noticed, and Caroline's black dress a visual clue to the kind of trouble she is in.

Though in 1967 there was rioting in many cities, Detroit may have been one of the most destructive. Beyond that, Detroit had something unique—it was the birthplace of Motown. Music plays a big part throughout Detroit '67... the selections of songs for the parties, the transition from scratchy 45 RPM records to 8-track tapes, the way Chelle uses music to bring her troubled self to center, and how it breaks through her shell with greater ease than words. Caroline's surprising familiarity with Black recording artists sets the stage for her to connect with Lank, and Sly uses music where words fail him, to get through to Chelle.

I have seen too many plays in which it is hard to empathize with, or even like, any of the characters. Morisseau has created a quintet of characters who are all likeable, flawed but full of heart. She has placed them in a tinderbox where any wrong move can make their whole universe go up in flames, and we see the toll it takes, as well as the inner resources that carry them through. Detroit '67 is a beautiful, meaningful and important play. It shows us where we have been, with lessons for where we are today.

Detroit '67 continues through May 17, 2015, at Penumbra Theatre, 270 North Kent Street, Saint Paul, MN. Tickets are $40.00, $35 for seniors with ID and $15 for students with valid ID. For tickets call 651-224-3180 or go to www.penumbratheatre.org.

Writer: Dominique Morisseau; Director: Shirley Jo Finney; Scenic Design: Matthew LeFebvre; Costume Design: Aaron Chvatal; Sound and Video Design: Martin Gwinup; Lighting Design: Don Darnutzer; Wig Designer: Andrea Moriarity; Assistant Scenic Designer: Sarah Brandner; Props Mistress: Amy Reddy; Stage Manager: Mary K. Winchell.

Cast: James T. Alfred (Sly), Jamecia Bennett (Bunny), Darius Dotch (Lank), Elizabeth Efteland (Caroline), Austene Van (Chelle).

Photo: Allen Weeks

- Arthur Dorman

Also see the season schedule for the Minneapolis - St. Paul region