Review: WHO ALL OVER THERE at The Ensemble Theatre

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Inspired by the premise of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, WHO ALL OVER THERE flips the dynamic and plants the story firmly in the present day. Written by playwright Torie Wiggins, the play follows Danya, who brings her boyfriend Dean home for Sunday dinner to meet her family, opening the door to conversations about race, culture, and the anxieties that come with navigating an interracial relationship. The script takes the familiar framework of a classic love story and reshapes it into something sharper, funnier, and more contemporary.

It is always a rare treat to meet and speak with the author of a play before curtain and then congratulate them afterward on such a vivid and entertaining production. Wiggins is as animated and sincere as the story she tells. An actor and director herself at Cincinnati’s Ensemble Theatre (no relation), she shared that this production felt destined, traveling from one Ensemble to another. At its core, she describes the play as a love story, noting that she enjoys love stories because of their predictability. WHO ALL OVER THERE turns that predictability on its head, resulting in something that is entertaining and thought-provoking.

Joy Yvonne Jones stars as Danya opposite Robby Matlock as Dean, and both are exceptional individually and together. From their first meeting in the museum through the emotional fallout of the play’s climactic reveal, we travel every step of the journey with them as they navigate not only a new relationship, but the realities and pressures surrounding a budding biracial romance. Jones is beautiful and charismatic, skillfully navigating Danya’s emotional highs and lows, whether they stem from family expectations, personal doubts, or the revelations that arrive later in the play. Matlock is charming and endearing, while also carrying a visible weight from Dean’s past. Because of the quick-moving tale of their courtship, when they clash towards the end, the resulting action seems slightly hard to believe, however both actors layer their performances wonderfully, allowing the relationship to feel honest and lived-in. 

Turell Robins and Estée Burks play Danya’s parents, John and Deidre Martin, and both bring warmth and depth to their performances. Their parental chemistry feels genuine and lived-in, and their concerns about Dean are clearly rooted not only in present-day reality, but in generations of lived experience and past familial context (that I wish we had learned more about). Both actors ground the production with deeply sincere performances.

Joshua Austin and Domenico Leona serve as sounding boards and voices of reason throughout the production. Austin plays Danya’s brother Truck, whose teasing relationship with his sister never obscures how deeply he cares for her. He feels very much like the emotional glue of the family, and Austin handles that balance wonderfully. His final scene with Dean had me completely riveted. Leona as Big Frat Brother Scot delivers plenty of laughs through sharp physical comedy and excellent punchline delivery, but he also reveals a softer side when pleading with Danya to see the depths of regret Dean feels. That sincerity lands just as strongly as the comedy.

Then there is Aunt Toonie, played by Courtney Bryant, who initially appears to be the play’s comedic firecracker: loud, opinionated, and perpetually turned up to eleven. Bryant gradually reveals deeper layers beneath the humor, showing how Toonie’s protectiveness and skepticism toward outsiders are also rooted in history and love for her family. It is a performance that grows richer as the play unfolds.

There are many wonderful elements working together throughout the production, and co-directors Steven J. Scott and Eileen J. Morris successfully weave them into a cohesive and emotionally engaging story. Joyce Milford’s set begins as a warm and inviting living room but cleverly transforms into several other spaces, including a museum and a delightful surprise to reveal Dean’s apartment. Kris Phelps, Adrian Washington, and Cayn King collaborate beautifully through lighting, projections, and cinematography to create the world of The Martins’ home, the city of Cincinnati, and several illustrated sequences used to communicate backstory and emotional context.

Scott and Morris, and their cast, especially shine during Danya’s dream sequence, staged as a loving homage to ‘90s sitcoms like Family Matters and Martin, complete with audience prompts and exaggerated sitcom energy. It is one of the production’s funniest and most inventive moments. I agree with Wiggins that this is ultimately a love story, but one unafraid to wrestle with discomfort, difference, and uncertainty. By the play’s final moments, it is us that is left to decide how (or even if) this relationship works out in the end.

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best Lead Performer in a Musical - Top 3

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