Paradise Blue

See it if 1949 black Detroit jazz club. Players try to save the club despite its owner’s mental illness. Deep characters & relationships. Good music.

Don't see it if You are looking for a lighter or happier story. You aren’t interested in issues of gentrification, mental illness, and female empowerment.

See it if Morisseau's saga in post-WWII black Detroit is a jazz fugue rifting as a drama Expert stage craft by Santiago-Hudson covers overt melodrama

Don't see it if Plot covers too many themes & all seem to get short changed Nicholson's Blue gives us the rage sans tragedy but Smith steals drama as Corn

See it if you're a fan of the playwright, curious about Detroit's jazz clubs & ambitions of black people in late 40's with great character profiles

Don't see it if you have no interest in Detroit or African-American history, don't like jazz, uninterested in sharp, authentic performances

See it if features aching blues music, characters speak in/move to blues rhythm, beautiful poetic script

Don't see it if characters stereotypes: siren, doormat, tormented soul; static production; weak actor playing central Blue role, minor characters steal show

Also Saw powerful Blair Underwood as "Blue" in the 2015 Williamstown production. He made you feel his demons and his conflicts with other characters were noticeably more hard-edged. This led to a more dynamic, affecting production.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy shows about the African-American experience, or are looking to complete Dominique Morisseau’s Detroit trilogy.

Don't see it if you don’t enjoy shows about struggling, working-class folks, or live gunshots on stage bother you.

See it if you have never seen a play by Morisseau. She is one of the best of our up-and-coming writers. Acting, directing are both superb.

Don't see it if you are not interested in jazz or the plight of African-Americans in the late 1940's.

See it if Top notch acting is the premiere reason you love theatre ! You enjoy realistic plays that grab you from the first moment & don’t let go !

Don't see it if You are looking for light drama that washes over you and demands nothing from you. A “happily ever after” play is your thing.

See it if you enjoy a well acted and written play about black lives in Detroit during a period of transition; sympathetic and interesting characters;

Don't see it if you aren't interested in black issues in Detroit, dislike jazz; feel women should stay in "their place"; prefer musicals to real drama.

See it if Land value greater than its entertainment value spells the death of the Paradise jazz and blues club and its ill-fated residents.

Don't see it if A flawed ending spoils your enjoyment of Morisseau’s powerful and tragic drama.

See it if you love terrific acting.Keith Randolph Smith is a delight.Play has a weak ending but a terrific first 7/8ths!Ending makes no real sense.

Don't see it if you hate serious plays about African Americans.With strong hints of August Wilson,the play explores the loss of black communities.

See it if you enjoy good music, acting and new works by a good playwright

Don't see it if you expect a tightly written play. Too many ideas leading to a confusing ending.

See it if 1949 Detroit jazz club owned by troubled trumpeter in a black area at risk for being 'gentrified' & their residents displaced

Don't see it if want a light, happy story; don't want serious economic and social issues

Also Despite my ratings, I didn't like this quite as much as Sweat (my rating for that was 84 & should have been higher). There were some cliched characters & moments. I would have liked the character Blue to have been a little more nuanced (not sure writing or acting) although I loved the trumpet playing. I think Mr. Smith & Mr. Battiste had the strongest performances.... Read more Read less

See it if you value originality and resonance in writing, acting, directing, and staging. This show excels on all fronts and is must-see theater.

Don't see it if it somehow isn’t given new life in a future production, which would be a crime.

Also Kristolyn Lloyd is well-known for her excellent supporting turns in shows like Dear Evan Hansen and Heathers: The Musical, but this play allowed her to take center stage. She showed that’s exactly where she belongs. Her luminous, heartrending performance deserves major recognition in the next awards season. Every cast member poured their hearts into the story and gave deeply affecting performances.... Read more Read less

See it if if you're intrigued by jazz and the culture surrounding it, or by an intimate glimpse at a community going through a period of change.

Don't see it if you aren't looking to confront heavy, darker themes.

See it if You are interested in the lives of people in a nightclub in Detroit in 1949.

Don't see it if Caricature depictions are beyond your tolerance level, or if you have anything better to do.

See it if you want to see a masterful merging of music and drama. Although set in the '40's, the themes are still relevant

Don't see it if you want something light and frivolous. Intense emotions are portrayed and all of the characters are troubled in some sense.

See it if being the first to experience the new Dominique Morisseau play is important to you.

Don't see it if a histrionic play about the black experience within America in the late 1940's doesn't interest you. I wish someone has tipped me off.

See it if You are interested in a dramedy that introduces you to interesting characters -- portrayed by talented actors.

Don't see it if You are impatient with melodrama and wordiness.

Also This script could benefit from a a few edits -- the first act is overly long and a bit repetitive.... Read more Read less

See it if you like jazz & are concerned about the disintegration of Black neighborhoods in the path of gentrification.

Don't see it if you aren't concerned with mental illness and its affects the loved ones and friends of the affected.

See it if You like great characterizations, fine writing, excellent acting and exquisite dircetion.

Don't see it if Sorry, but there is no good reason to miss this fine show.

See it if a talented cast in a fascinating story that isn't quite perfectly written is ok with you. Wonderful set and costumes true to period.

Don't see it if a confusingly written storyline that needs editing and clarity (not resolution) annoys you. Love this author but the play needs focus.

See it if You're a fan of the playwright, or her influences, such as August Wilson. Blackbplays. Small plays. Detroit. Jazz. Gentrification topics.

Don't see it if There's a little singing. Staging is great; good views all around. "N" word is used and a gun. If those offend you, don't see, but, I

Also Enjoyed it, even though I was born 35 years after the setting of the play.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy stories from the past, the blues, or plays that feel uber realistic.

Don't see it if you don't period-specific language (the N word is used quite a bit), the blues, or if you don't like being able to guess the outcome.

See it if For the jazz background and excellent actors. The plot lines were confusing but these actors managed to overcome that defect.

Don't see it if The play got lost with the several plot lines none of which were fully realized. Excellent actors kept me in my seat till the end.

See it if you're a Dominique Morisseau fan and want to see her earlier works

Don't see it if you're expecting a naturalistic play like her newer pieces