06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
‘Paradise Blue' at Studio Theatre review: One of the best plays in D.C.
A portal is open on 14th Street NW to one of the most captivating theatrical experiences in D.C. this year. Through a side entrance to Studio Theatre, jazz age ghosts linger in the overhead haze, while a Black neighborhood approaches a fateful turning point.
Dominique Morisseau's 'Paradise Blue' is set in Detroit in 1949, when music clubs in the downtown Black Bottom district are staring down the bulldozer of gentrification. The play is part of a trilogy that chronicles Black life in the city across the second half of the 20th century, exploring the dynamics of how communities are built and destroyed, and what it means to chase a sense of belonging even in your hometown.
