Cleveland Public Theatre’s ‘Showing Up Black’ examines the masses and the classes

There are many layers to the social strata of the Black community. Beginning at the base with the self proclaimed “Ghetto Rat” it climbs through varying degrees of respectability that include “Working Class”, “Middle Class”, “Upper Middle Class” to peak at the lofty title of “The Upper Class” where one knows when one has arrived.

Evvie Hopegoode (Makayla Smith) has both feet planted precariously in two opposing worlds. On the one side she is the only daughter of the prominent Cleveland Attorney Louis Hopegoode (Darryl Tatum) and Socialite Claire Hopegoode (Ashley Aquilla). On the other she is romantically involved with Kwan (Drew Pope), a ghetto rat who in spite of his lowly social status has a full scholarship to MIT but who is heavily involved with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Evvie’s mother, Claire, is the chair for this year’s Cleveland Black Cotillion being held at the Ritz Carlton on Public Square. To complicate matters there is an ongoing Black Lives Matter march at Public Square to protest the killing of a Black teen, Octavious Brown who died while in police custody. To further complicate matters Louis has been asked by the Mayor and the Chief of Police to defend the two police officers accused of killing Brown.

We meet Claire and her good friend Marie (Tamicka Scruggs) as they put the final finishing touches to their social masterpiece that includes an after party. The guest list includes only the top names of Black Cleveland society and is THE social event of the year.

Meanwhile, Evvie and Kwan are in the middle of the BLM protest. She with her Angela Davis Afro and he in his pro Black protest sweatshirt. Afterwards they go to his small apartment to relax before Kwan takes Evvie home and meets/confronts her parents. Tempers flair as opposite points of view clash and Kwan is asked to leave.

With the protest not going away, Claire is forced to cancel the after party as invited guests are dropping out of their invitations. The night of the ball finds Evvie transformed into a beautiful debutante in a stunning dress with her carefully coiffed straight hair as her mother presents her with a necklace of matched pearls. Life is good.

Returning home Claire and Louis celebrate the success of the evening only to find that Evvie and her escort had been stopped by the police and forced to lay in the middle of the street in their formal clothes. This frightening humiliation gives Evvie cause to rethink her commitment to the cause.

Jeanne Madison’s “Showing’ Up Black” was created through the process of the Cleveland Public Theatre Test Flight program that allows new playwrights the funding and encouragement to produce new works for the stage.

As for the show it is great! To begin with, the set design by Richard Morris is what we all wished our living rooms looked like. It is sumptuous without being cluttered. There is an ornate bar alcove on the left, a beautiful sofa centrally placed and a desk for Louis on the right. The doorway is wood and cut glass with an archway framing the entrance way. Floor level left is a park bench and on the right is Kwan’s simple room with bed, night stand and chair.

The actors are absolutely superb. Makayla Smith as Evvie perfectly inhabits two worlds with ease and charm. Her transformation to debutante is spectacular. Drew Pope as Kwan is a firebrand of energy who is heavily committed to his ideals but knows he needs to finish college in order to realize his dreams and finance his cause. Darryl Tatum as Louis plays the troubled parent with a tough day job who probably sees a bit of himself in Kwan but is committed to see this court case out to its end. Ashley Aquilla as Claire is elegant as the superb hostess who sees the protest as an affront to her hard work as the cotillion chair. It is only when she sees her own daughter rudely treated by the police that she realizes the gravity of the situation. Tamicka Scruggs as Marie is hilarious as the no nonsense friend with the unfiltered mouth. She adds comic relief and could use more stage time to flesh out her character.

The show is expertly directed by Jimmie Woody who keeps the action moving so that the two hours (with intermission) fly by. Mia Jones does an outstanding job dressing the various players especially in preparation for “the big event”. T. L. Codella floods the stage with excellent light to give an airy feel to the spacious stage set. Vince Tyree gives the sound design an excellent balance so that none of the dialogue is lost.

Worlds collide and tempers flair as two social classes square off against each other. Caught in between are the children who are trying to make sense of their world and their place in it. This show is a revelation and revolution all in one. Tickets will go fast.

Cleveland Public Theatre’s “Showin’ Up Black” will be on stage in the Gordon Square Theatre located at 6415 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio through March 8, 2025. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.cptonline.org/ or call (216) 631-2727 x501.