JTP's Ensemble for Skeleton Crew Is Intense,
Endearing, Entertaining, and Captivating

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a skeleton crew is "the smallest number of people needed to keep a business or organization operating."

The phrase also brings to mind the term skeleton key, which is "a key that will open several doors."

And the word skeleton itself also comes to mind: "the frame of bones supporting a human or animal body." It might also suggest the "bare bones" of one's existence.

When the curtain rises on The Justice Theater Project's Feb. 9-25 production of Dominique Morisseau's 2016 Off-Broadway and 2021 Broadway play Skeleton Crew, we meet a "skeleton crew" -- four auto workers in the depression era of 2008 Detroit -- at a what might be "the last small factory standing" that is in danger of being shut down. In addition, we become intimately familiar with the core (or "skeleton") of each of these characters' lives, we see how they all function as a "skeleton" to support each other, and we get a glimpse of what we hope will be a & quot;skeleton key" that will open doors for them as they face the uncertainty of their futures.

Directing The Justice Theater Project's production, Dr. Nadia Bodie-Smith has coaxed strong performances from four talented actors to give us a detailed sketch of "what life was like" in that time, in that place, under those circumstances, for individuals like these characters. The script's dialogue sounds quite natural, the pacing is smooth and unhurried, and the timing is impeccable.

The Play:

The action consists of a series of scenes in the factory's employee lounge. We meet employees Faye (Kalimah Williams), Dez (Malcolm S. Green), and Shanita (Camryn Sherer), as well as the unit foreman Reggie (Moses T. Alexander Greene) who are among the small remnant of the plant's staff after recent downsizing. It becomes apparent rather quickly that Reggie knows something important that he is not at liberty to share.

This "something," as it turns out, is information that threatens dire consequences for the entire staff's future, and they all have a lot at stake. Shanita is single and very pregnant. Faye has less than a year before she can retire with full benefits. Reggie has some new, steep financial obligations. And Dez, beneath his carefree veneer, is as much worried about the others as he is about himself.

The beauty of this production lies in the evidence of bonds and affection between the characters as well as in their resolve and their courage. The "meat" in this production is in the plethora of social issues raised by the dire circumstances.

In a "Meet the Director" preshow event on opening night, Dr. Brodie-Smith mentioned her tendency to try to accentuate "moments of life and love" in her productions. Let the record state that she delivers.

The Acting:

Several adjectives come to mind for this ensemble: Intense. Endearing. Entertaining. Captivating.

Kalimah Williams presents a Faye who does her best to "be a rock" for herself and the others, and Faye's dry humor augments her "tough ass" image. Williams' performance, however, drops a series of hints that point to the character's insecurities, and we are not at all surprised by the eventual revelations.

Camryn Sherer -- let me start by saying this: Either Sherer is, indeed, very pregnant herself OR she deserves a major award for a performance that checks all the boxes .... Sherer's Shanita is optimistic as well as hard-working and serious about the job that she loves. Again: she deserves an award for the subtleties and attention to detail.

As Dez, Malcolm Green is spot-on. There is never any doubt about Dez's goals and priorities. Even though Dez appears to be, perhaps, overly playful, Green's performance hints, from the very beginning, at an unexpected level of sensitivity.

Moses T. Alexander Greene's Reggie is continually quite obviously at odds with himself about how to proceed during these troubled times. Greene captures and presents the dualities that crop up when one's loyalty-of-friendship is at odds with one's loyalty-of-responsibility. The phrase "playing against type" will come to mind for anyone who has met Greene when they witness Reggie's insecure, nervous, and border-line neurotic behavior.

The Tech:

Set design by Erik Benson has yielded a realistic employee lounge as a workable acting space. Such details as bulletin boards, time clock, lockers, coffee machine, etc., "ice the cake."

Costume designer Jodeya Brown has nailed the look for these characters in this setting. Especially impressive are Shanita's pregnancy outfits and Dez's period-(and-character)-specific jeans (you will see what I mean).

Lighting and sound design by Cory Arnold work well, as do projections by Jasmine Perez.

And Jada Ameer Lewis Rasheed has supplied the necessary properties.

Memorable Lines:

• "Like an old nasty woman with the emphysema cough."
• "You can't expect ME to sit on news."
• "Nobody wants to merge anymore" (applied to traffic situations, but metaphorically significant).
• "I'm runnin' on soul ... That's all I got left."
• "Oh! Are YOU pregnant and hormonal?"

Nice Touches:

• The slide show on the screen above the stage at the top of the show.
• The song that accompanies said slide show (as well as other songs later).
• The final scene and subsequent "curtain call."
• Malcolm Green "working" his costume.

From the Department of Picky-Picky:

This was probably accidental, but an employee's hard-hat remained on stage at the end of an early scene when everyone had gone back to work.

This one is a function of my own expectations: Sitting in the front row, house left, I found myself wondering if there was any significance to the ramp (rather than a "step-down" to audience level) on the stage-right end of the platform.

The Bottom Line:

Like every JTP show, Skeleton Crew will make you laugh, make you feel, and make you think. It's a timely show about our society and our economic system in which (in the words of director Dr. Brodie-Smith): "We see four Americans who happen to be black dealing with their lives."

The cast includes (from left) Camryn Sherer, Malcolm Green, Moses T. Alexander Greene, and Kalimah Williams

Dominique Morisseau's SKELETON CREW (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16-18 and 23-25), directed by Dr. Nadia Bodie-Smith and starring Kalimah Williams as Faye, Moses T. Alexander Greene as Reggie, Malcolm S. Green as Dez, and Camryn Sherer as Shanita (The Justice Theater Project at the Umstead Park United Church of Christ in Raleigh). PRESENTER: https://www.thejusticetheaterproject.org/, https://www.facebook.com/Justicetheater, https://www.instagram.com/justicetheaterproject/, https://twitter.com/justicetproject, and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNGoYepGz-n99gOyTAj7QTg/videos?view=0&sort=p. 2023-24 SEASON: https://www.thejusticetheaterproject.org/2324-season-issues-of-our-time. VENUE: https://www.upucc.org/, https://www.facebook.com/UmsteadParkUCC, https://www.instagram.com/umsteadparkucc/, https://twitter.com/UPUCC, and https://www.youtube.com/user/upucc/featured. DIRECTIONS/MAP: https://www.upucc.org/contact. UPUCC COVID-19 POLICY (scroll down): https://www.upucc.org/. SKELETON CREW (2016 Off-Broadway and 2021 Broadway play): https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/60200/skeleton-crew, http://www.iobdb.com/Production/6148, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/skeleton-crew-531759, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeleton_Crew_(play). DOMINIQUE MORISSEAU (Detroit, MI-born playwright and actress and a MacArthur Genius Grant Fellow): http://dominiquemorisseau.com/, https://www.concordtheatricals.com/a/100903/dominique-morisseau http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/42109 https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/dominique-morisseau-520005, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5012077/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominique_Morisseau. TICKETS: $24 ($5 students and educators and $20 seniors and active-duty miltary personnel), plus taxes and fees. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: 919-264-7089 or [email protected]. PLEASE DONATE TO: The Justice Theater Project.

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