Review: PARADISE BLUE at Portland Playhouse

Dominique Morisseau's PARADISE BLUE, now running at Portland Playhouse, is an intense, beautifully acted noir drama about community, legacy, and the forces that tear both apart. Set at the Paradise Club in Detroit's Black Bottom neighborhood in 1949, this jazz-infused play opens with a jolt — a trumpet solo pierced by a gunshot. It's a thriller of sorts that explores the individual forces that further complicate the societal impact of gentrification.

The play is part of Morisseau’s Detroit trilogy, which also includes Detroit ‘67 and Skeleton Crew. And it’s grounded in historical reality. The Paradise Valley of Black Bottom was a thriving entertainment district in the mid-1900s, hosting jazz greats including Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald.

When a new mayor promises to eliminate “Urban Blight,” the Black residents clearly understand that they are the targets. PARADISE BLUE explores how the personal and the social interact when a community is faced with displacement.

By square footage, you couldn't hope to find more talent on a single stage. Mikell Sapp anchors the production as Blue, the club’s owner, who’s haunted by his father's musical brilliance and his mental torment. Sapp navigates Blue's volatility with visceral intensity, making us understand why this talented musician sees selling his club as survival rather than surrender.

On the other side is P-Sam (La’Tevin Alexander), a young percussionist whose modest dream of a regular gig to keep some money in his pocket provides grounding humanity. The affable Corn (Lester Purry), the other member of the band, is in the middle — he knew Blue’s father, so he understands both Blue’s potential and his torture, but mainly he just doesn’t want to rock the boat. Then there’s Pumpkin (Netty McKenzie), Blue’s girlfriend, who wants to stay in Black Bottom, but also believes she’s the only one who can help Blue control his demons. When Silver (Cycerli Ash) arrives with money, a cloud of mystery, and a walk that stops everyone in their tracks, the already fractious dynamics explode into chaos.

This is an excellent play filled with complex characters, brilliantly rendered. Under Lou Bellamy's direction, PARADISE BLUE is both a remembrance and a clarion call about what's at stake when communities face displacement. It’s smart, engrossing, and well worth seeing. Plus, Maruti Evans’s set is incredible!

PARADISE BLUE runs at Portland Playhouse through November 2. Details and tickets here.