Baltimore Center Stage
Oh happy day! Baltimore Center Stage is back with a new season of what are sure to be amazing productions as it kicks off its next chapter of its mission to bring arts to the community and beyond. And the first production of the 2024-2025 season aptly titled Oh Happy Day! bodes well for what is to come under the theatre’s new Artistic Director Stevie Walker-Webb, who is also the director of the play.
Oh Happy Day!, written by and starring Jordan E. Cooper, is centered around the Johnson family — Lewis, Niecy and Kevin — who are about to have a birthday cookout for Lewis … though no one asked Niecy to cook (no one ever asks Niecy to cook) … and Lewis has no interest in celebrating since he’s lost his job at a local church. Out of the blue, Lewis’ son Keyshawn appears and his arrival causes a lot of tension. Niecy and Kevin try to calm Lewis but his anger is at a boiling point, demanding an apology from Keyshawn. What the family doesn’t know is that Keyshawn was shot to death earlier that day over an incident that led to his father being fired from the church (let’s just say it involves a lot of hypocrisy on the part of the pastor and his illicit interactions with Keyshawn in a hotel room). They also don’t know that Keyshawn is having visions of a Heavenly Trio of Dreamgirls who offer up some rousing gospel numbers to help Keyshawn along. They also don’t know that Keyshawn is speaking with God, taking the form of Kevin and Niecy, revealing to him that a storm is coming and the entire town will be underwater … but the exact time of said flood is not revealed because God don’t play like that. If Keyshawn wants his house in Heaven, he must get his family into a boat before the rain starts. That’s no easy feat since it’s sweltering hot and there isn’t a cloud in the sky and no rain in the forecast. Also, the boat they do have is an hour away. God reappears and tells Keyshawn, like Noah, to build the boat but the only material available is … the family’s house. Keyshawn begins to dismantle the house and as he does more and more family secrets are revealed, but can Keyshawn get his family to safety, can they resolve their issues and heal those deep wounds, and will Keyshawn get his Heavenly reward?
Oh Happy Day! comes to the stage under the guidance of some immense talent. Cooper, the youngest Black American playwright in the history of Broadway, comes to Baltimore following his critically hailed, but criminally overlooked, Broadway debut Ain’t No Mo’ while also serving as the executive producer of the BET+ comedy series The Ms. Pat Show. Cooper’s writing for Oh Happy Day! is sharp, witty, often hilarious and deeply affecting, earning its tears and applause by the end. His performance as Keyshawn is powerful, animalistic but tender and humorous when needed, showing us a man who puts up a tough, proud facade that hides his deep pain. He’s really just someone who craves the love of his father. Cooper uses his facial expressions and body language to show us everything Keyshawn is feeling even when his words may say the opposite when going up against his family, who all think he’s lost his mind. It is a performance that will shake you to your core.
James T. Alfred is fantastic as Lewis, a man full of rage, blaming his son for his own misfortunes, a man who has to face an even greater reality than Keyshawn. Tamika Lawrence is wonderful as Niecy, a single mother who suddenly finds herself the sole breadwinner for the family because of Lewis’ unemployment. It’s a burden she is now forced to bear but she isn’t shy about letting Keyshawn know that the family situation is on his shoulders (although he rightly argues that the pastor is truly the one at fault). Lawrence makes Niecy fierce but loving, not one to suffer fools but also willing to help Keyshawn … to a point. She also gets to shine as she becomes one of the embodiments of God, at times a bit frustrated by Keyshawn’s inability to see or understand what He wants from him. And she gets to sing too with a powerful voice. Justin Sturgis is also terrific as Kevin, Niecy’s son. He has a bit more comedy to portray, and is a bit more innocent than the others because of his age. He doesn’t have to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders, just his mother’s cooking. He is also amazing as the first representation of God that visits Keyshawn, more mature, slinking around the stage as if He’s trying to seduce Keyshawn into bowing to his will, tempting him with the promise of a Heavenly house of his own (is this God or Satan?). He really is mesmerizing in the God role. Altogether this cast is one of the best you’ll see on the stage this season.
Baltimore Center Stage
And we cannot forget the Divines: Glory (Latrice Pace), Mighty (Tiya Askia), and Holy (Courtney Monet). They kick off the show with a rousing Dreamgirls-like performance and punctuate the show with more songs from Donald Lawrence. They also serve as sort of a Greek Chorus and Keyshawn’s conscience, similar to Little Shop of Horror‘s Crystal, Ronette and Chiffon, attempting to guide him along through his journey to redemption they all want him to have. Their voices are angelic and their harmonies blend together with Heavenly perfection, and their performances, sometimes sassy, sometimes sweet, are highlight of the show.
Director Stevie Walker-Webb, Tony Award-nominated director of Ain’t No Mo’ and a contributing writer on The Ms. Pat Show, uses the space in the Pearlstone Theater wonderfully. The main action takes place in the backyard of the Johnson home with the back of the house the prominent feature. Characters enter or exit through the door to the house or from a stairway under the audience to a runway to the stage. It’s rare for anyone to enter or exit stage right or left which makes this a really unique theatrical experience. Walker-Webb and Cooper already have a close working relationship which makes the play even more powerful, and Walker-Webb draws amazing performances from the rest of the cast and keeps everything visually interesting with the assistance of Scenic Designer Luciana Stecconi, who packs a major surprise into the set, and Lighting Designer Adam Honorê, who uses lighting exceptionally well to shift the moment from Keyshawn’s reality to his interactions with God. And a tip of the hat to Costume Designer Celeste Jennings for the inspired but simple way Niecy and Kevin are dressed when they are in God mode. Donald Lawrence, who has worked with En Vogue, Stephanie Mills, Kirk Franklin, Mary J. Blige and many more well-known artists, provides several gospel-infused numbers for the Divines that are toe-tapping and will fill you with the Spirit. All of the technicians behind the scenes have brought Cooper’s and Walker-Webb’s vision to life in the most exceptional way, producing a show that deals with biases, family, personal responsibility and religion in an honest, heartfelt and impactful way that may move your own heart and soul by the end.
If you are in the Baltimore/DC area or anywhere nearby, it is well worth the trip to Baltimore Center Stage to see Oh Happy Day!. The good news is that the show will have a life after its run in Baltimore so keep an eye out for news in your area (I believe it was mentioned the show will have a run at The Public Theatre in New York at some point). Until then, this is a production that should not, that cannot, be missed.
Oh Happy Day! runs about 1 hour 30 minutes with one 10 minute intermission. The show’s run has been extended through October 20, 2024. Appropriate for ages 13 and up. This production contains strong language and adult themes, and includes the use of strobe lights and gunshot noises. Baltimore Center Stage’s next production is Pride & Prejudice, October 17 – November 10, 2024.
Oh Happy Day! – Trailer
Baltimore Center Stage
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