In the 1930s, Idlewild was the African-American resort that thrived in Michigan due to its attraction of top tier talent. The Arthur Braggs Revue was where it was and among the headliners, the Fiesta Girls danced their way through the shows. One of those dancers was Carlean Gill.
She’s the center of Cherie Williams new play I’ll Be Damned If… now playing at Jubilee Theater. Marking her debut as a playwright, Williams’ story isn’t just a historical look at Carlean Gill, but also an account of a Black woman living life on her own terms by demanding agency and independence.
Directed with a refined touch by Calvin J. Walker, Damned poetically unfolded Carlean Gill’s story during this early chapter of her life. A mistress to club owner Arthur Braggs, Williams’ story never blames Carlean’s affair with a married man despite the opening funeral scene with Arthur’s wife front and center and Carlean right beside her. Suffering through her loss, she not only intends to live out Arthur’s ranching dreams, but also carve out her own life.
At the center of the story is Sydney Hewitt who carried the play effortlessly as Carlean. Her performance was anchored in strength, never playing the character with weakness but capably painting her with vulnerability. Hewitt oozed a quiet confidence in this role that lent itself to Carlean’s tenacity as well.
Hewitt was surrounded by a strong cast with actors who each shined in their own parts. As fellow Fiesta Girls, Siara Obasuyi and Mikaya Martin delivered inspired performances as Eddie and Margurita. The frenemy characters gave them room to play each part with a healthy dose of sass and spirit but still gave their parts a grounded reality.
Calvin Gabriel was stoic as the hard, but loveable club owner Arthur Braggs and Deontay Roaf was a serene delight as young Carlean’s mother Elise. The beefcake of the bunch was Johnny Jordan Jr., the hunky horseman who helps Carlean with her horses. The subtleties of these two onstage together was both steamy and sweet. They weren’t overly defined as lovers, so the subtext between the two was played well thanks to Jordan’s and Hewitt’s chemistry.
Kayla Marshall as Donna and Matt John West as Ziggy served the play primarily through dance roles that acted as interludes. Both added a nice punch of energy throughout the show with Marshall’s exuberant presence and West’s twink and wink performance as the Fiesta Girls’ dance captain.
The show’s finale was a bit disjointed as the show’s prologue was a video of Carlean Gill’s life after Idlewild. But the magnificent life she would lead was compelling to critique it too much. The thrill of learning how her independent spirit and foundation stayed strong up until today was a remarkable closing to I’ll Be Damned If…
The show runs through Sunday.
–Rich Lopez