New Broadway Play 'Skeleton Crew' Celebrates Detroit Night
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Detroit takes the spotlight on Broadway with a new play that celebrates the Motor City.
As CBS2's Cory James reported, famous Detroiters, including former NBA and Michigan star Jalen Rose and actress S. Epatha Merkerson, hit the red carpet Friday for "Skeleton Crew's" Detroit Night.
The faces on the Broadway's show's marquee were inspiring.
"One of the main reasons why I came to see the show is because of the all Black cast. I had never seen that before," Susanna Omaya of Brooklyn said.
"Skeleton Crew" was written by Tony Award-nominee Dominique Morisseau and directed by Tony Award-winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson.
It tells the story of a Detroit car factory on the verge of foreclosing, creating an even more challenging time for many of the workers who are barely making ends meet.
Morisseau said love is at the center of it all, and that's what she wanted the audience to experience.
"I just hope it feels like community up in there," Morisseau said. "I feel like I'm standing on the shoulder of my city's legends and so I hope that all those legends and all of the future legends and everybody in this building feel seen and heard."
Legends, both behind the camera and in front, were feeling it.
"I'm from Detroit, so this is a wonderful opportunity to see our city presented by this incredible playwright," Merkerson said.
"These artists and promoters know what they're doing before they get here," Broadway director and producer Woodie King Jr. said.
"This moment is monumental, here on Broadway, specifically. This season, coming through COVID, there are eight plays written by Black playwrights. That's never been done," actor Blair Underwood said.
Detroit's mayor believes the message might have a broader impact on the younger generation.
"I just sat with a number of the luminaries in the African American theater community," Mayor Mike Duggan said. "It's clear that there's a path here for Detroiters and I'm sure many more will follow."
Morisseau's supporters and family members, who are from Detroit, know this moment will reach far and wide.
"It's bringing our triumphs and our struggles to the front of Broadway. It's just amazing," Carole Morisseau said.
"Because we are inventors, we're educators, we're entrepreneurs, we're actors, we're athletes," Rose said.
"The fact that she's had two shows on Broadway now that focus on our city is really quite extraordinary," Merkerson said.
This play marked the Broadway debut of Chante Adams, who is also from Detroit.
Editor's note: This story was first published Feb. 4 and has been updated.
