Review: BLACK GIRL FROM A WHITE SUBURB at American Blues Theater

Black Girl from a White Suburb is exactly what the title says: Tania Richard grew up in an all-white Chicago suburb as the daughter of two Haitian immigrants. In this world premiere show written and performed by Tania Richard and directed by J. Nicole Brooks, Richard brings us on a deeply personal journey through trauma and belonging in finding and regaining her voice in a society built by and catered to white people. 

The stories are personal, but the experiences are universal, the problems institutional and systemic. From microaggressions to medical racism to police brutality, the range of violent experiences as a Black person is vast and varies in immediate severity but all make a lasting impact. Using her unique theater experiences as the storytelling device, Richard brings us through her traumatizing interactions and productions in school drama clubs to her initial transformation through local community theater to her world opening at Steppenwolf and the Goodman. 

Richard mentions straddling two worlds growing up — one in the all-white suburb and the other in the Haitian diaspora — and then focuses mostly on the former and her journey of accepting and embracing her identity as Black, not simply Not White. It would’ve been interesting to hear more about her Haitian heritage and how that side of her was formed, cultivated, and nourished by her parents. With only one brief appearance as her mother, her home life growing up was not as central to the storytelling as one might expect or want, even as “Sak Pase?” hangs over the home office set, a looming and appropriate homage to her heritage throughout the show.

Some of her stories elicit gasps from certain audience members, while there were also moments where it felt like Richard hits the lessons too-on-the-nose in hand-holding the audience through the various microaggressions — but that might be because, as the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants in a predominately white suburb intimately familiar with these types of interactions, the anecdotes aren’t as shocking as for someone who hasn’t personally lived through these experiences, but that ultimately doesn’t take away from their resonance. 

In the intimate sold-out house of the American Blues Theater, Richard’s performance is fluid as she moves through the space, actually asking the audience to reflect on what we do to belong and making deep eye contact that implores you to see the pain and confusion and violence she has gone through to be on the stage telling this story — a very meta “Sliding Doors” moment as she acknowledges that not growing up in an all-white suburb might mean she would not be performing this show in front of us that night otherwise. 

The set design from Shokie Tseumah welcomes us into the space where we can tell Richard is proud of her heritage. The lighting design from Jason Lynch heightens the storytelling, the lighting harsh and glaring when confronting racist teachers; warm when finding Black community and theater. 

Richard’s performance is gentle, tender, and humorous yet simultaneously forceful and indignant as she retells the forces that shaped her into who and where she is today. The show ends with an explicit call to action: to breathe, to find our voice, to tell our stories, to fight for what’s right, to be the hope we’re seeking.

Black Girl from a White Suburb runs through October 4, 2026, at American Blues Theater (5627 N. Lincoln Ave.) in Chicago. 

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