Review: I'LL BE DAMNED IF at Jubilee Theatre

When people hear about Idlewild, the first thing that comes to mind is the 2006 drama film with a musical score produced, written, and mostly performed by the Grammy award winning hip-hop duo Outkast. Set in fictional Idlewild, Georgia, the film focuses on the seedier side of the music business rather than the majesty that was Idlewild, Michigan.

Most are unaware that Idlewild was founded in 1912 as a black resort community by four sympathetic white couples who collectively purchased 2,700 acres of land spread out around all five lakes including Lake Michigan which the Idlewild community was located. The development that followed included homes and cottages that not only attracted professionals like Dr. Daniel Hale Williams and businesswoman Madame C.J. Walker to the region, but also a bevy of black intellectuals like sociologist/writer W.E.B. Dubois and novelist Charles Waddell Chesnutt.

As a native of Michigan, this critic grew up with the full knowledge of “Black Eden” and the impact it had culturally in the state, particularly for blacks concentrated in urban cities and suburban areas like Detroit, Flint, Saginaw, Pontiac, Highland Park, Benton Harbor, and Grand Rapids and during the Jim Crow era.

During the second great black migration from the south to cities in the Midwest, upper-Midwest, and east coast, a new black middle class began to emerge due to the urban renewal and explosion of the automobile industry with its parts subsidiaries. No longer bound by the racial restrictions of the south and with the ability to earn a good living, purchase homes and cars, and send their children to college, blacks like any other culture also wanted to be entertained in a dignified manner that matched their new economic status.

Idlewild, with its Las Vegas-esque flair that included fine dining and featured showgirls, bands, and national black performers like Della Reese, B.B. King, Sarah Vaughan, Jackie Wilson, Lon Fontaine, Dinah Washington, The Spinners, The Four Tops, T-Bone Walker, Sammy Davis Jr., and Stevie Wonder met that need for entertainment which didn’t stop after Idlewild finally closed in 1965 following passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Segregation was no longer the law of the land and blacks were free to move around and travel wherever they wanted, so the necessity of an Idlewild was no longer an imperative.

But the tradition of Idlewild continued through live cabarets in a number of these cities, which I fondly remember my parents, aunts and uncles, and other adults attending with childlike excitement, purchasing outfits to wear and getting the perfect haircut or hairstyle to recreate the same experience as when they were at Idlewild.

So, this is the experience writer Cherie Williams attempts to recapture through the eyes and lived experience of Carlean Gill, one of the legendary “Fiesta Dolls” showgirls, played with such intensity by the wonderful Sydney Hewitt and her one-time beau Arthur “Big Daddy” Braggs, played by local acting powerhouse Calvin Gabriel, who always exudes charisma and charm in any role he takes on.

Directed by Calvin J. Walker, Hewitt tackles the multi-faceted role of Carlean with such intent, including frequent dead-pan stances with her expressive eyes as well as child-like naivete and trust in other instances. She is a joy to watch on stage. Likewise, Gabriel who enters the set in a gulf of energy draws patrons into every scene he appears in as the owner of the Paradise Club and creator/promoter of the “Arthur Braggs Idlewild Revue.”

Even though this is Carlean’s story to tell, it would have been nice to see more interaction between Carlean and Arthur on stage because as the scripts hints at, each was influential in the success they both achieved independently. Arthur was her mentor; Carlean was his muse and the love was evident.

Normally in plays there is usually a scene-stealer and not in a bad way. In “I’ll Be Damned If…,” there are two in the form of actors Siara Obasuyi and Mikaya Martin, who play Carlean’s fellow Fiesta Dolls.

Obasuyi in the role of Eddie has natural comedic acting chops and commands the stage effortlessly in each scene with all eyes on her and the audience knowing they’re going to soon be erupting into laughter with her antics, attitude, and indignation at times. She is really that GOOD. As Carlean’s closest friend, she keeps her grounded in the absence of her forever love Arthur, and cautious about her interaction with the cowboy James Jackson, portrayed by Johnny Jordan, Jr.

The same holds for Martin, who portrays the highbrow, self-absorbed Margurita Ford who enters every scene like a small spitfire that is larger than life, with a definite agenda for herself and anyone else who cares to listen. She oozes beauty with fierce determination, and nobody is going to stand in the way of her getting her pie (not a slice) in her quest to reach the top of the entertainment food chain. What’s great about Martin’s performance is even though she’s built to be tough, occasionally a tender side emerges quickly which she tucks right back in to avoid being vulnerable.

Rounding out the cast assembled by Walker is Deontay Roaf who plays Elise Gill, Matt John West who portrays Ziggy, and Kayla Marshall in a double role and Donna and Inez.

From a production standpoint, there are issues that have nothing to do with the playwright’s work perse neither the production direction. The challenge is which Idlewild story do you tell? Is it the love story, which is intriguing, including the inclusion of Jordan’s character James ominously lurking in the background? Is the pivotal role of the “Fiesta Dolls” in the success enjoyed by Idlewild from Michigan audiences and others over a 53-year period?

A story of this magnitude would be best served by either focusing on one of the two storylines, of which the second could encapsulate multiple sub-storylines.

Actor West, who played the effervescent choreographer Ziggy in this type of production would have been allowed to shine because he is a good dancer and has the personality to pull off rehearsals and performances with the drive of a drill sergeant. And audiences would have been able to see a more thorough building of a dance routine and a brief performance number.

But the elephant in the room is the size of Jubilee’s performance space. Normally it works but this production was hampered by it because this story is so much bigger.

In his pre-show speech, Executive Artistic Director D. Wambui Richardson shared a capital campaign to build a new theater is underway. He received enthusiastic applause when he said, “if we own it, you can’t increase the rent.”

That statement represents the foundation of why Idlewild was so successful. Braggs and others took advantage of opportunities in front of them and didn’t wait for someone to give them anything.

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