Theater: '67' Crystallizes Motown And Madness A Generation Experienced

Theater review written by Pam DeFiglio

It's challenging to tell a personal story that opens the lens wide on a drastic event in history. 

Northlight Theatre's Midwest premiere production of Detroit 67 does it powerfully, examining the experience of an adult African-American sister (Chelle) and brother (Lank) who run dance parties in the basement of the home their parents left them--a convincing 1960s set by Jack Magaw, complete with laundry and linoleum tiles--to earn a few extra bucks. 

The dance-party element fortunately gave playwright Dominique Morisseau a reason to lace the play with great Motown hits--from the fun tunes that carry the upbeat mood of the two young siblings and their best pals Bunny and Sylvester, to the pensiveness as the brother, Lank, starts falling into a then-forbidden affection for a white woman, and then the mixture of sadness, grief and resolve that mark the aftermath of how the enormous July 1967 Detroit riot affects the characters. 

The program notes explain how Detroit police intimidation of the African American community led to simmering resentment, which boiled over in a five-day riot that left 43 dead, 500 injured and 412 buildings burned or ruined. Then-Gov. George Romney had to call in the National Guard, and President Johnson sent the Army.

The topic of the riot doesn't crop up until the second act, however; the first two-thirds or so of the play center on the family's dreams. Widowed older sister Chelle, played by Tyla Abercrumbie with a can't-take-your-eyes-off-her magnetism, strives to keep her life as tidy as her home, socking away dollars to fund her son's education. Kamal Angelo Bolden conveys Lank's bigger ambitions, wanting to use their inheritance to buy, with pal Sylvester, a bar that would give him the respect and financial standing of a businessman. Unfortunately, his timing borders on frightening.

Kelvin Roston Jr., as Sylvester and Coco Elysses as Bunny play delightful foils to the brother-sister drama, bringing a balance of flirtatious laughter and reflection on the racial realities that confront them all in 1967 Detroit. 

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I'm of two minds about a subplot which involves the two men rescuing a white woman who has been beaten, and then stays with the family for a time. On one hand, it serves to illuminate the relationship between the races in that time, as well as tie in some plot points, but it also strains credulity that a black man in the mid-60s would bring a perfect stranger and the victim of a white cop woman-beater into his home.

The other hiccup with the play is that after the violent and dramatic high point occurred, it didn't take time to let the full impact sink in, and wrapped things up too quickly. 

Overall, though, this is a well-written, beautifully performed work of theater that puts a human face on the racial strife and riots of the 1960s, showing us, the audience, the toll they took on a vibrant family. Under Ron OJ Parsons' direction, the essential goodness and compassion of the characters comes through, which makes the events that unfold all the more shocking.

IF YOU GO

• Dates: November 16-December 15, 2013

•  Schedule: Tuesdays: 7:30pm (except Nov. 19 and Dec. 3; Wednesdays: 1:00pm (except Dec. 11) and 7:30pm (except Nov. 27); Thursdays: 7:30pm (except Thanksgiving Nov. 28); Fridays: 8:00; Saturdays: 2:30pm and 8:00pm; Sundays: 2:30pm and 7:00pm (except Nov. 17 and 24 and Dec. 15). 

• Location: Northlight Theatre is located at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie

• Tickets: $25-$75. Student tickets are $15, any performance, (subject to availability) 

• Box Office: The Box Office is located at 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie. 847.673.6300; northlight.org