Melissa Renee Perry, author at Chicago Reader

Chris Taylor as Langston Hughes stands in front at the left, wearing a light-colored suit and his right hand outstretched. Nolan Robinson and De’Jah Jervai stand behind him looking on. The stage is in a blue light.

Langston’s legacy

by Melissa Renee Perry August 24, 2022August 24, 2022

The Black Ensemble Theater continues its four-play season with My Brother Langston, written and directed by Rueben D. Echoles. The 90-minute play zooms into the life story of American poet Langston Hughes (Chris Taylor) with original dialogue, song, dance, and of course, readings of some of his most well-loved poems. My Brother LangstonThrough 9/18: Fri […]

Five young Black men in school jackets and letter jackets are onstage. The young man at the left is standing and gesturing toward his right, where the other four are seated two apiece on benches. The background is filled with dark panels and columns, reminiscent of a library.

Theater Review

A school full of song

by Melissa Renee Perry June 30, 2022June 30, 2022

The four years that young adults spend in high school are widely recognized as some of the most formative (and cringeworthy) years of their lives. It’s a space where they come face to face with their insecurities on a daily basis. For many, this space is a common site for first-time struggles related to academics, […]

Three people in exaggerated blonde wigs and blue dresses in a row.

Theater Review

Dictator dictation

by Melissa Renee Perry May 19, 2022May 19, 2022

The energy in the Den Theater last Thursday was electric, as The Secretaries, written by Omer Abbas Salem and directed by Laura Alcalá Baker, made its highly anticipated debut with First Floor Theater. The dark comedic play was first developed through Goodman Theatre’s Future Labs and marks Salem’s first full production as a playwright in […]

A Black woman sits on a blue train seat reading a book. An older white man sits across from her, also reading.

Theater Review

Space and race on the Chicago Metra

by Melissa Renee Perry April 28, 2022May 19, 2022

Tina Fakhrid-Deen’s latest play, Pulled Punches, gives audiences a close-up of a developing relationship between two characters, Isis (Melanie Victoria) and Charles (Brad Harbaugh), over the course of their 90-minute Metra ride. As Isis, a Black woman, eagerly looks forward to returning home to watch Scandal, Charles, a white adjunct African American studies professor from […]