Dominique Morisseau has written three plays about her native Detroit. Her most recent features employees at Detroit’s last auto plant with a lot to lose, as the recession hits and auto companies face bankruptcy in 2008.
The play got great reviews when it first opened in Detroit, and won an Obie Award after moving to New York City. We got a taste of Morisseau’s work recently: she did the book for the Temptations musical Ain’t Too Proud to Beg, a hit at Berkeley Rep. That show wasn’t great drama —jukebox musicals are a tough assignment — so I’m far more excited about this production, especially with the talented Margo Hall, Lance Gardner and Tristan Cunningham in the cast.
This production also represents a rare collaboration between two regional theater companies. Marin Theatre Company in Mill Valley gets the Bay Area premiere this month, and then Theatreworks in Palo Alto does the show in March. Details for the Marin production (Jan 25–Feb. 18) are here, and for Theatreworks (March 7–April 1), look here.
