Playwright: Pearl Cleage. At: Greenetree Productions at Stage 773 ( fka Theatre Building Chicago ) , 1225 W. Belmont. Phone: 773-327-5252; $25. Runs through: Sept. 19
Our first thought when we see the interior of scenic designer Shaun Renfro's Victorian brownstone is to wonder if it has an available room for rent ( the street view makes even the stoop a desirable option ) . But then we learn that this is 1930, and that we are not in Puccini's Montmartre, nor in Jonathan Larson's East Village, but in Harlem, where the glamour of its so-called "Renaissance" is waning under the corrosive effects of unemployment, evictions, organized crime, street violence and renewed prejudice.
Wherever pursued, however, la vie de bohème is a romantic one, thriving on the hope of good fortune lurking just around the corner. This is what spurred pretty Angel Allen and "notorious homosexual" Guy Jacobs to flee their native Georgia to the freethinking society of Manhattan during the roaring '20s ( notably, the coterie surrounding gay poet Langston Hughes ) . But work opportunities for a chanteuse-with-benefits and a gladrags dressmaker are growing increasingly scarce, awakening dreams in the former of a financially stable husband, and in the latter, of a job offer from expatriate superstar Josephine Baker.
The ambitions of their closest companions are humblerDelia Patterson is a crusader for Margaret Sanger's "family planning" movement, and Doctor Sam Thomas saves lives while enjoying his own to the fullest. But romanticism mandates tragedy, and so the destinies of these pilgrims are doomed to end in disappointment and/or sacrificecircumstances precipitated by the entrance of Leland Cunningham, a newly arrived Alabama tradesman likewise seeking a fresh start, but unable to leave his down-country values behind.
Spread out over two hours, this material risks emerging as lugubrious as its operatic prototype, but under J. Israel Greene's direction, the cast for this Greenetree production engages our emotions immediately, sustaining their focus and energy to keep our attention riveted to the last instant. Kelly Owens as the weary Angel and Jaren Kyei Merrell as the defiant Guy occupy the forestage, but Akilah Terry as the wholesome Delia and Lee Owens as Doctor Samthe big man whose big heart will be his undoingcreate likewise vivid characters, as does Jason Andre Smith in the role of the unwitting catalyst to their destruction. Don't forget the aforementioned stage decor, Sarah Haley's costumes and Adam Smith's pinpoint-accurate incidental music, all contributing to an auspicious debut deserving a longer run than its present plans permit.