"The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin" at Karamu House is the Best Musical You'll See This Year

Fortune telling is not a skill this wrinkled and woebegone theater critic has in abundance. But I'm willing to bet that there won't be a more delightful performance of a musical in 2023 than the one now on stage at Karamu House.

The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin earns its long title thanks to a talented cast, most of whom shoulder multiple parts and flourish in playwright Kirsten Childs' word and music playground. The dazzlingly inventive and precisely detailed direction by Nina Domingue helps the almost two-hour one act to fly by, leaving many in the audience (at least this one) wanting more.

The story revolves around a bubbly young Black girl, Viveca, who dreams of being a great dancer—from her early days in ballet class (hilariously staged) to an equally amusing Broadway audition for none other than Director Bob, modeled on Bob Fosse, the choreography god. Along the way, she is guided by her concerned parents Daddy (Corin B. Self) and Mommy (Jailyn Sherrell Harris), who advise her to let a smile be her umbrella.

But that advice is challenged early on when little Viv hears about the murder of four girls her age in the 1963 church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama. That's when Viveca decides she likes her white doll, Chitty Chatty, more than the Black doll her proud parents bought for her.

It's a sobering but effective way to begin these proceedings, as we watch Viveca come of age through a series of milestone scenes that show her reacting to the pressures of the world and of being a Black girl in late 20th century America. She is busy trying on new identities and always trying to please, even when her contemporaries call her a "pathetic Oreo."

Often, when a playwright tries to create a vehicle that encompasses a large span of time, the wheels eventually come off. But the wheels of this production stay firmly in place, with more high points than there is room here to highlight.

Viveca is accompanied through much of her journey by Gregory (an endearing Avery Lamar Pope), who starts by tormenting Viv in elementary school and then does a lot of growing up. As Viv's gal pal Emily and others, Amaya Kiyomi has multiple funny moments, particularly when she comes on strong as a Black militant in the '60s. And towards the end, Viveca starts her life as a young adult in New York City, the "city where fucked-up people make their dreams come true." Sure enough, she is hit on by a guy—no, a walking orgasm—played by silky Mell-Vonti Bowens. He coos to her the sultry lyrics of "Come With Me," a song that Marvin Gaye would have loved to wrap his vocal chords around.

Ultimately, Dayshawnda Ash brings down the house in a kickass "Granny's Advice," in which she counsels Gregory to "have something on the side," as it were. She then punctuates it with a glorious and unexpected dance move. Many other roles are handled expertly by Mary-Francis R. Miller, Joshua McElroy, Claudia Cromley, Sydney Smith, and Jaren Hodgson.

In the central role of Viveca, Kennedi Hobbs helps many of her scenes work splendidly. Although her singing and dancing skills are just serviceable, she never backs down or retreats. And that contributes enormously to the production's success.

Childs' score and lyrics are a lively pastiche of Broadway-inspired tunes; jazz, R&B, and gospel; and snatches of musical styles of certain times such as the hippie era. The five-person band conducted by Edward Ridley Jr. is more than up to the task, and while the voices vary in polish, the songs are always delivered with energy and comic flair when required. Plus, the scenic design by Cameron Caley Michalak is lean and effective, Kenya Woods' choreography animates one delightful moment after another, and the costumes and wigs by Inda Blatch-Geib are a hoot.

As funny as all of this is, the catch in the throat that you feel at the start regarding the church bombing is echoed later when Gregory is profiled on the street by some threatening cops. The fear is real in that moment, giving the many light moments a darker shadow, representing the constant, dangerous presence of racially-motivated police overreaction and abuse from which our society has not yet emerged.

That trenchant truth gives depth to the surprising, uplifting and thoroughly entertaining moments that came before, as Viveca finally gets comfortable in her own skin. Bubbly Black Girl is a Karamu production to see, remember, and then maybe see again. Just for grins, and a couple shivers.

The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin
Through May 14 at Karamu House, 2355 E. 89 St., karamuhouse.org, 216-795-7070.

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