Cleveland Public Theatre’s ‘Haunted’ is a bit of spooky fun

As you enter the stage and seating area of the James Levin Theatre at Cleveland Public Theatre you pass through the front door of a house. On the left is the standard “For Sale” sign advertising “Vincent Jones, Realtor”. What furniture that remains in this distressed listing has the look of abandonment that picked over living rooms across the country have. There are various boxes of flotsam, a pile of chairs with table, ratty curtains, a blow up couch and chair(?) and a book case with a partial set of encyclopedias. The room definately has a spooky vibe to it.

Enter Ash (Trevor McChristian) and Aaron (Lionel Morales) two spirit youths caught between two worlds (earth and the great beyond). Ash and Aaron died twenty years ago in a head on collision with a truck that happened right in front of the house that is located close to the Cuyahoga River in Ohio.

They have spent the time hassling each other, reading what scant offerings have been left in the house, listening over and over to Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Switchfoot, Evanescence, Pink and Mariah Carey (because those are the only CDs in their possession) and scaring off potential “unsuitable” buyers. Thus the production of “Haunted” by Tara Moses (Seminal Nation of Oklahoma) and directed by Nailah Unole didanas’eas Harper-Marveaux (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma) begins.

Ash and Aaron are the new generation of Native American. Aaron had finished two years of college working on an English degree and was driving Ash to begin his Freshman year when the tragic accident happened. While seemingly very bright youths, they seem at first to be slightly uneducated as to their culture. That changes as the play progresses.

Vincent Jones (Rob Grant) is bringing yet two more potential buyers to the property. Upon their entrance the two brothers play a game “Dead or Divorce” in order to guess the fate of the absent mother figure. White Man (Jonathan Morgan) arrives with his daughter (Rachel Gold) and in spite of her reluctance decides to buy. The daughter freaks out when the spirits appear behind her in a wall mirror but is convinced by her father to stay. The girl quickly makes a friend (Hillary Wheelock) as the two hold a slumber party with the omni-present Ouija Board. They manage to summon up the home’s original owner (Jonathan Morgan), a Quaker from the 1700s who the two boys can see but not the living.

Still not convinced of an unworldly presence, Dad hires a Medium (Hillary Wheelock) to converse with the spirit residents. All hell breaks loose as the two bothers manifest themselves in various humorous ways. Realtor Jones is once again left having to search for a suitable buyer.

At the crux of the show are such issues as stolen land, spirits, justice, sacred burial grounds and the Land Back Movement. Whites are portrayed as unfeeling people with an agenda while the brothers lack of current information is revealed but corrected with exposure to the modern web. It is Realtor Jones who is able to connect to the two trapped spirits and aid in their transference.

The show features a very strong cast with Trevor McChristian as the flamboyantly gay youth who “simply wants to have fun”. Lionel Morales is perfect as the laid back older sibling who tries to use logic to solve unsolvable unworldly problems. Rob Grant III as Vincent Jones grows into his part as mediator between the two worlds. Jonathan Morgan, Rachel Gold and Hillary Wheelock fill out the multiple roles of various characters and do a great job in each distinct role.

The stage design by Laura Carlson Tarantowski is understated with a purpose. It is much as a 20 year listing would look with numerous and various clients parading through. Desiree Monique dresses the various actors in suitable garb that reflects their personalities. Emma Deane’s lighting design emphasizes the subdued character of the room but a stronger representation of the “Land Light” and the final “walking towards the light” could have been done stronger to give more emphasis. Geoffrey Short’s sound design adds turn of the century pop with various ethereal sounds to set the mood. While the show was very entertaining in parts it seems in need of a sharp editing pencil to shorten the over two hour sit time (with intermission). Sometimes less is better.

An intriguing concept of combining near modern pop cultural with ancient traditions makes this a show worth seeing in spite of its overly long length. Comedy, native wisdom, spirits, white misconceptions and spooky going ons combine for an entertaining hodge podge that will have you thinking.

Cleveland Public Theatre’s production of “Haunted will be in the James Levin Theatre at 6415 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio through March 22, 2026. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.cptonline.org/ or call (216) 631-2727 ext. 501.