Mr. Joy: The Neighborhood Tour at ArtsEmerson

ArtsEmerson and the Mayor’s Office of Resilience and Racial Equity present Mr. Joy: The Neighborhood Tour, a series of free theatre performances in four neighborhoods of Boston of Daniel Beaty’s Mr. Joy, a play that explores issues of race and class in America to help us find our common humanity. Tickets to all performances on the tour are free; however, due to limited space, advance reservations are strongly encouraged.

PLAY SYNOPSIS: What happened to Mr. Joy? A Harlem community is shaken when Mr. Joy, a Chinese immigrant whose shoe repair shop has been a neighborhood pillar for decades, is the victim of an attack. Through the lens of Mr. Joy's customers, from the bubbly eleven-year-old Clarissa (who captured everyone's heart in Daniel Beaty's Emergency) to the sincere and savvy “gangsta granny” Bessie, we learn the profound yet unassuming impact the shop owner has had on each of their lives. Playwright and ArtsEmerson Artist-in-Residence Daniel Beaty (Breath & Imagination, Emergency) returns with another moving reflection on transforming pain into power, this time through the virtuosic performance by acclaimed actress Adobuere Ebiama. A poignant, funny and stirring solo piece, Mr. Joy invites us to consider how we respond to violence as individuals and as a community, and the power of the invisible ties that bind us all.

Hyde Park, Riverside Theater Works April 1 at 8pm and April 2 at 3pm; Allston, Jackson/Mann Community Center April 7 and 8 at 7pm; East Boston, Zumix Firehouse April 15 at 8pm and 16 at 3pm; Dorchester, Strand Theater April 21 at 7:30pm and 22 at 8pm