This evening of theatre speaks boldly, honestly, and intricately about the black experience in the U.S. Focusing on the lives of six steel-mill workers, this Samuel Kelly script offers a 1970s flashback with humor and gravity. The working-class design, with its familiar paneled walls and orange curtains, creates an easy entryway into a period seemingly full of gaiety and possibilities. Directed by Rosemarie Smith-Coleman, the play and the players move along with confidence, building on every moment as they lead us to the work's climactic end.
And from the moment a talented E'tian, who plays Joe—a major procrastinator and a good-times fellow—shuffles his smooth and hilarious dancing moves, we are endeared to him and the play; the only slight improvement his otherwise multilayered performance needs is moments of stronger enunciation.
But the high level of competence throughout the production is obviously rooted in Smith-Coleman's ability to foster familiarity, differentiation, and clear objectives within her ensemble. All the characters experience an arc, some for better or worse, but it's hard to fault any character when they're put against the larger social backdrop that is working against them. They each embolden their humanity with moments of blunt confrontations and vulnerability. Two monologues stand out: one delivered by Lamont Coleman as old-timer Charlie about driving his flashy Cadillac and having to deal with two racist Southerners, and the other by Raymond Lewis as broken-down Scott, who shows us the low value of higher education for black men if their athletic abilities fail them.
Also capturing the characters and period is the outstanding costume design, by Harold Harper, which complements Rashim Turner's excellent hair design, from a soul-brother look to a buppie style. Pill Hill succeeds because it transports us to a universal place where we want our dreams to come true, even if we're just waiting for tomorrow to let that happen.
"Pill Hill," presented by and at the Coleman & Smith Artistic Company, 6448 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m. May 17-June 30. $15-25. (213) 202-3235.