It’s the summer of 1930 and the promises of the Harlem Renaissance are giving way to the dashed dreams of the Great Depression. Playwright Pearl Cleage (Flyin’ West and Oprah Book Club selection What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day) tells a strikingly modern story about four friends whose lives and passions collide when an innocent newcomer from Alabama arrives in New York.
When Harlem Blues Singer Angel’s (Alfie Fuller) boyfriend announces he will marry another woman, she becomes devastated, making a scene in the club where she works, resulting in her dismissal. After one too many drinks, her best friend Guy (John-Andrew Morrison) and a kind southern stranger named Leland (Khiry Walker) help her get home safely. Upset over the breakup, loss of her career and nowhere to live, Angel is desperate as the jobs in Harlem have become more scarce. While Guy won’t shut up about going to Paris to design dresses for Josephine Baker, Angel tries to find her ticket to freedom anyway she can. When Leland shows up at her door one day, she takes advantage of his naiveté after finding out he’s a conservative Christian man from Alabama who recently lost his wife and son.
When Leland meets Angel’s more progressive friends, he is taken aback by Guy, who is flamboyant and openly gay, Delia (Jasminn Johnson) who wants to start a family planning clinic and Sam (Sheldon Woodley), a physician who is open-minded and carefree. When Angel becomes pregnant, Leland is excited and they plan to marry as she hopes it will lead to a better life. Meanwhile, Guy’s dreams finally come true as he receives a letter, cash, and a ticket to Paris from Josephine Baker hiring him to design her dresses. When Angel finds out about Paris, there is only one thing to do seeing this trip as her only way out. The play ends with a twist that will definitely shock you.
I loved this play. It was funny, it was sad, it was touching and the cast was perfection! It covered some pretty heavy topics concerning homophobia, women’s issues, and the definition of true friendship. This is a play you don’t want to miss and will be talking about long after it’s over!
Now playing at Theatre Row in New York City through March 14th
