This review has been reposted courtesy of the League of Cincinnati Theatres. For more LCT reviews click here to visit their reviews page.
The Ensemble Theatre CINCINNATI’S production of DETROIT ’67 is a winner. The set/lighting/props/sound are all stellar, a delicious time capsule from the 60s.
I remember being invited to a “basement party” back in the 60’s in the hood where, for a small cover, you got great music, a bar, and for a white girl like me, dance lessons! I still feel those were the best moves I ever had!
Darnell Pierre Benjamin as Sly & Bryant Bentley as Lank. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.
The basement in the ghetto neighborhood of Detroit serves as the underground after hours party place for locals and is a major source of income for Chelle and Lank, the sister and brother who grew up in the house and live there now as adults. They have recently inherited the house from their deceased parents. A stairwell bisects the stage and distinguishes life above ground and the life that goes on underground. The actors are constantly climbing down or up and traveling between worlds. Above the basement stairs, just a hint of the hallway and the house beyond leads your eyes to a long span of dark shadowy cityscape that reminds you where you are. The sound was marvelous. Who doesn’t want to listen to old Motown, the Temps, Marvin Gaye and the like? But in the background, muted sirens scream that the rioting isn’t far away. An old stereo that plays 45s keeps skipping to the irritation of Chelle.
The play flows through the five days and events of the 1967 Detroit riots like the music which characters turn to constantly; music for the nightly party, music to wait by, to dance to, to celebrate a moment, to tolerate a moment, to dream to, to delight one other. The characters are struggling with who they are, to the world, to each other and what stands in their way, whether it’s their own beliefs, the color of their skin, or the limits of the culture of the times they live in.
The acting is energetic and consistent, honest and earnest – not a false note in the show. Bryant Bentley as Lank, a Dayton native now in Columbus, is particularly good as he conspires with his best friend Sly, Darnell Benjamin, performing locally and teaching with Pones Inc., Know Theatre and across the Tri-State, who mollifies his sister Chelle. Burgess Byrd’s Bunny is a sight to behold. She is cast beautifully and fills the role with sexy gusto. Zina Camblin’s Chelle is sweet in her pedal pushers and sleeveless shirts, playing Lank’s big sister and is touching as she tries to keep everyone and everything safe from the troubles outside. Sly, all legs and fedora, is enthusiastic beyond all measure, Lank’s best friend and would-be beau of Chelle, if she’d take him seriously. And Leslie Goddard’s Caroline, is strong and problematic and gives her role nice complexity, so that you can’t easily tell if she’s a good girl or not. She’s a savory mystery. All the actors work beautifully together.
The production is one not to be missed!
For more information on the production, click here.
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 