The Detroit Project

Three Plays

Dominique Morisseau

• Publisher: Theatre Communications Group
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781559368582
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: American Drama
• Index: Literature

In 1967, 1949, and 2008, respectively, three new dramas from Morisseau showcase the economic and racial tensions that the city of Detroit has faced through the past century. With empathetic storytelling and an ear for the voice of her home community, Morisseau brings to light the race and class divide of not only Detroit but the nation as a whole.

PARADISE BLUE

PRODUCTION HISTORY

Paradise Blue received its world premiere at the Williamstown Theatre Festival (Mandy Greenfield, Artistic Director) on July 22, 2015. It was directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. The set design was by Neil Patel, the costume design was by Clint Ramos, the lighting design was by Rui Rita, the sound design was by Darron L. West, the original music was by Kenny Rampton and Bill Sims, Jr.; the production stage manager was Lloyd Davis, Jr. The cast was:

PUMPKIN	Kristolyn Lloyd
BLUE	Blair Underwood
CORN	Keith Randolph Smith
P-SAM	André Holland
SILVER	de’Adre Aziza

Paradise Blue was produced at Signature Theatre (Paige Evans, Artistic Director; Harold Wolpert, Executive Director) on April 24, 2018. It was directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. The set design was by Neil Patel, the costume design was by Clint Ramos, the lighting design was by Rui Rita, the sound design was by Darron L. West, the original music was by Kenny Rampton; the production stage manager was Laura Wilson. The cast was:

PUMPKIN	Kristolyn Lloyd
BLUE	J. Alphonse Nicholson
CORN	Keith Randolph Smith
P-SAM	Francois Battiste
SILVER	Simone Missick

Paradise Blue is a recipient of the 2015 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award.

CHARACTERS

PUMPKIN, black woman, late twenties to early thirties. Pretty in a plain way. Simple, sweet. Waitress, cook and caretaker of Paradise Club. A loving thing with a soft touch. Adores poetry.

BLUE, black man, mid to late thirties or early forties. Proprietor of Paradise Club. Handsome, mysterious, sexy. Quietly dangerous. Aloof. A hard shell and a hard interior. Battling many demons. A gifted trumpeter.

CORN (AKA CORNELIUS), black man, late forties to early fifties. Slightly chubby. Easygoing and thoughtful, a real sweetheart with a weakness for love. The piano man.

P-SAM (AKA PERCUSSION SAM), black man, mid to late thirties. Busybody, sweet-talker, hustler. Always eager for his next gig. The percussionist.

SILVER, black woman, late thirties to early forties. Mysterious, sexy, charming. Spicy. Gritty and raw in a way that men find irresistible. Has a meeeeaaaannnn walk.

SETTING

Detroit, Michigan, in a small black community known as Black Bottom, on the downtown strip known as Paradise Valley. Paradise Club. 1949.

A NOTE ON THE TEXT

A “ / ” indicates where the next line of dialogue begins.

ACT ONE

PROLOGUE

In darkness:

A trumpet wails a painful tune. It is long and sorrowful, almost a dirge.

At rise:

A soft light comes up on Blue. He is silhouetted with his trumpet in hand, the source behind the trumpet’s wail. Beads of sweat dance down his face as his notes pierce the air.

The trumpet sings as the tune becomes increasingly beautiful.

Then suddenly, a white light washes over Blue. He plays a long note. It is the most beautiful note we’ve ever heard.

Finally, he stops, stands there . . . dripping with sweat. Crying.

The white light over him becomes even brighter.

He smiles, overcome with peace.

A gunshot.

Blackout.

SCENE ONE

Lights up on an empty nightclub. This is Paradise. A sign in the window that says so is unlit.

A cardboard sign in the window says, BASSIST WANTED—ASK FOR BLUE.

A second cardboard sign in the window says, ROOMS UPSTAIRS AVAILABLE FOR RENT—ASK FOR BLUE.

Chairs are mounted on tables. A bar is stage left. Stools are mounted atop. A heap of swept trash sits in the middle of the floor with an abandoned broom nearby.

Pumpkin, a young, pretty, simple woman, enters from the kitchen with a dustpan in one hand and a book of poetry in the other.

She reads with complete engagement, doing an odd job of trying to sweep up the trash without losing her page as she reads.

PUMPKIN (Reciting aloud):

The heart of a woman goes forth with the dawn,

As a lone bird, soft winging, so restlessly on,

Afar o’er life’s turrets and vales does it roam

In the wake of those echoes the heart calls home.

(She carries the dustpan over to the trash can, trying pitifully to balance it all. A trail of trash spills along the way.)

The heart of a woman falls back with the night,

And enters some alien cage—

(She notices the trash that she’s spilled. She doubles back and sweeps it up, then proceeds to the can again, engulfed in the poetry.)

And enters some alien cage in its plight,

And tries to forget it has dreamed of the stars

While it—

(More trash spills.)

Ah fudge!

(She scoops up the trash, dropping the book.)

(As swear words) Mother fudge and grits!!!

(She picks up the book. She carefully balances the trash and the book, heads closer to the trash can.)

And tries to forget it has dreamed of the stars

While it—breaks,

breaks,

breaks

on the sheltering bars.

(Finally, she dumps the trash into the trash can. The book falls in as well.)

Fudge gri...