Review: Black Rep's Skeleton Crew Is Thought-Provoking and Suspenseful

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Philip Hamer

A scene from Skeleton Crew, now playing at the Black Rep.

A good contemporary drama, like Dominique Morisseau’s gritty and affirming Skeleton Crew, holds a mirror to society, then shifts our perspective so we can see a more complete view of the world the story reflects. The Black Rep’s production — directed by Geovonday Jones and featuring fully connected, layered stories and complex characters — is a completely engrossing interpretation. As the tension builds and the fates of each character sway, we see so much more than the stereotypes and surface, becoming thoroughly engrossed in the uncertain outcome.

Long-time employee and union rep Faye, hardworking, hardheaded single man Dez, and the very pregnant and wisely cautious Shanita are members of a dwindling crew working an auto parts assembly line in Detroit. Reggie used to work the line with them, but he’s now their supervisor. Though they each have separate lives and challenges outside of work, here they are part of the “skeleton crew” keeping the lines running amid constant rumors of the plant closing.

Tension builds when a series of thefts threatens to shut the plant down regardless of ownership’s decisions. Reggie feels trapped and uncertain, caught between supporting the workers, many he’s known his entire life, and following management’s strict directives to ensure his future employment. He turns to Faye for advice. A “second mom” to Reggie since he was a kid, she promises to help despite obligations to the other employees.

Dez wants to start his own business. We see him straddle the line between his self, hopes and dreams and fulfilling a role he feels pressured by society to model. Shanita is smart and mechanically gifted, but she doesn’t have the same support or opportunities as others. Individually and as an ensemble, the cast turns in nuanced, finely tuned performances that continue to reveal their characters’ depth and essential humanity.

Brian McKinley, as Reggie, cares deeply about the employees in his charge and also about his wife, kids and Faye. McKinley shows us the mental shifts Reggie goes through and the toll his character’s commitment takes. Velma Austin’s Faye is bristly and stuck in her ways but ultimately caring. Austin disappears into the character and takes us with her. Olajuwon Davis ensures we understand Dez is much more ambitious, disciplined and attentive than management may see. And Carmia Imani shows us that Shanita is not naïve, but she is quite insecure personally, even though she knows she’s smart and capable.

The production receives exceptional technical support from designers Peter and Margery Spack, Jayson Lawshee, Lamar Harris and Marisa Perry. Jones directs the cast with a sure hand that isn’t afraid to linger in the spaces between the dialogue, particularly after revelations and conflict. None of the characters are perfect and none of them embody the stereotypes society too often assigns on looks, job title or neighborhood alone. Instead, the effectively thought-provoking and suspenseful Skeleton Crew finds universal truths in the working lives of blue collar Americans.

Skeleton Crew is written by Dominique Morisseau and directed by Geovonday Jones. Presented by The Black Rep at the Berges Theatre at COCA (6880 Washington Avenue) through Sunday, April 16. Showtimes vary by date. Tickets are $45 to $50.