No Bones About It, 'Skeleton Crew' Is Meaty

L-R Amari Cheatom, Caroline Stefanie Clay, Kelly McCreary and DB Woodside

By Darlene Donloe

Detroit, affectionately known as the Motor City, rose and fell with the automobile industry, and, by association, so did its autoworkers. Things were great for the auto industry’s working class when the Big Three car companies (Chrysler, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors) were at their peak.  But when the automotive industry crisis hit between 2008 and 2010, as part of a global financial downturn, it sent the lives of thousands of autoworkers that relied on the auto industry for their bread and butter, into a tailspin.

Dominique Morisseau

Dominque Morisseau’s Skeleton Crew takes a look at the lives of four similar workers in a production that is both poignant and relevant.

Set in a stamping plant in Detroit around the year 2008 (the Great Recession), Skeleton Crew takes us not only inside of the plant, but also inside the thinking of four workers whose futures rested on the auto industry, but now suddenly find themselves unsure about their financial future.

The four workers, all black, are Faye (Caroline Stefanie Clay), Dez (Amari Cheatom), Reggie (DB Woodside) and Shanita (Kelly McCreary).

L-R Caroline Stefanie Clay, DB Woodside, Kelly McCreary and Amari Cheatom

Faye is a no-nonsense 29-year veteran of the plant, who dispenses personal and professional advice – whether or not anyone wants any.  Dez is a 20-something, street savvy young man who has dreams of opening his own car shop.  Reggie is the 30-something plant foreman. He is torn between management and the workers.  He and Faye have a bit of history because his mother and Faye were apparently best friends.  Faye helped Reggie get his foreman job.  Shanita is a 20-something, pregnant woman who likes her job. She is a second-generation plant worker.

When rumors begin to swirl that the plant may close by year’s end, secrets, desire, frustrations, and anxiety starts to emerge. The play is about how each worker deals with the prospect of the plant impending closing.

Kelly McCreary, Caroline Stefanie Clay, and Amari Cheatom star in Skeleton Crew

Morisseau’s fresh approach to the human experience is invigorating. The fact that she gives each character the space to expand and rise while rapidly dispensing her witty dialogue, is what moves the play forward. No words are wasted. Each utterance has its own weight and intensity. The Detroit native’s characters are vivid and filled with personality, complexity, and emotion. Each character is strong enough to hold their own center stage.

The acting is superb and chock-full of realism and emotions. Even the most subtle gesture, movement or phrase propels a moment.

On the surface, Skeleton Crew could be considered just a play about four working-class individuals in a Detroit auto plant. But it’s about much more. It’s about family – and not just through the bloodline. It’s about having the back of co-workers who can, often times, be closer than one’s own family members. It’s about love, survival, hope, morality, despair, integrity, loyalty, faith, and trust.

Director Patricia McGregor

Patricia McGregor’s fluid direction is crisp, deliberate and intimate. Faye, Dez, Reggie and Shanita flow effortlessly throughout the stage – making for an authentic workplace experience.

This is Morisseau’s third and final installment of her trilogy ‘The Detroit Project.’  The play, which was developed in 2014 and had its world premiere in 2016, is so engaging it has, reportedly, become one of the Top 10 produced plays in the country for the 2017-18 season. After viewing this show, it’s easy to understand why.

Skeleton Crew, written by Dominique Morisseau, and directed by Patricia McGregor, stars Amari Cheatom, Caroline Stefanie Clay, Kelly McCreary and DB Woodside.

Skeleton Crew, through July 8, 2018; Geffen Playhouse, Gil Cates Theater, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024; For tickets and show times: geffenplayhouse.org/skeletoncrew or call the box office at 310.208.5454 (open daily, 7 a.m.- 6 p.m.).

Running time: 2 hours and 15 minutes.

On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likeable), O (oh, yeah) and E (excellent), Skeleton Crew gets an E (excellent).