For one weekend only, UW-Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts Department of Theatre presented the Milwaukee premiere of Jeff Augustin’s Corktown or Through the Valley of Dry Bones , a heartfelt meditation on the oldest surviving neighborhood in Detroit, its broad economic shifts and the humanity of its denizens. Augustin’s writing moves quickly from one scene to the next, zooming in on relationships changing over time and sometimes making deft use of split scenes in which two conversations overlay one another in meaningful ways. A young man, Jackee, narrates the piece as a recollection spanning more than 20 years and it is him and his immediate circle that form the heart of the story.
The student ensemble delivered strong performances under Rebecca Holderness’ direction. Among the standouts was Andrew Ricks as Jackee, striking a masterful balance between theatrical chops (excellent delivery, charisma) and dynamic and realistic characterization. His transition from in the closet to out in a city where being gay simply isn’t something safe to admit was particularly striking. Mary Jo Perez electrifies the role of his older sister, Phylicia, a young woman with ambitions so powerful they catapult her to a scholarship-paid education in London and whose vivacity and wisdom compel her to return home and see her city’s value as both ruin and contender. Easily the most scene-stealing performance came from Stephanie Kimble as the Corner Prophet, a semi-homeless individual who delivers “The Times”—incisive word-of-mouth news about the neighborhood—from a street corner in exchange for coins. She is simultaneously sassy and seasoned, withering and wise.
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The actors played on a beautiful multi-level set with industrial scaffolding, platforms and a large projection screen on which enormous graffiti artworks took form one layer at a time. Kudos to local visual artist James Tomasello and members of TRUE Skool for their work on these designs. Scenic and lighting designer Stephen Roy White also deserves praise for a sensitive and at-times appropriately surreal lighting plot, as do Chrispher Guse for his gospel-heavy sound plot and Jason Orlenko for costumes spanning the recent urban past to 20 years in the future.
Dealing with topics ranging from racial economic disparities, white flight, gentrification and the price of a “renaissance” brought on by the unasked-for “help” of outsiders, Augustin’s story never loses sight of its human basis. Character driven and engagingly written, it is a compelling tribute to a “city of ruins.”
