CLEVELAND, Ohio - As a fast-paced summary of a Cleveland theatrical institution's rich history, "Karamu: 100 Years in the House" succeeds admirably. It is heartfelt. It is often inspiring. And it certainly tells the tale in a lively, engaging and fascinating manner.
REVIEW Karamu: 100 Years in the House
What: A 30-minute documentary narrated by James Pickens Jr.
When: 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17 (repeating at 1:30 a.m., 3 p.m. and 11 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, and at 10 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21).
Where: WVIZ Channel 25.
Breezy is a good word to describe director-producer Lance K. Shultz's film, which premieres at 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, on WVIZ Channel 25. The adjective also applies to Schultz's "America's Theater: Cleveland Play House," a documentary that aired in September.
But like its predecessor on Channel 25, the half-hour "Karamu: 100 Years in the House" is a bit too breezy. Thirty minutes is just too little time to adequately cover this much terrific territory. The Karamu story is as complex and intriguing as it is stirring, and this story simply deserves more.
More what? It deserves more depth, more context, more perspectives and, to achieve all of that, more time. Prime-time real estate can be tough to come by, even on the PBS schedule, but Ideastream, please - please - give Schultz more of this coveted space to pursue these incredibly textured stories of Cleveland's theaters.
Yet Schultz makes the most of the time he has, as brief as it is. "Karamu: 100 Years in the House" may move at a lightning-fast pace, but it's lightning caught in a lovingly crafted bottle.
The entertaining history lesson is narrated by Karamu graduate James Pickens Jr., best known for playing Dr. Richard Webber on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy." He is an excellent choice, warm and welcoming and someone who feels a profound connection to the theater.
"Welcome to the Karamu House, the oldest African-American theater in the United States," he tells us. "I actually got my start, here, at Karamu. Over the past 100 years, the Karamu House has been a launching pad for numerous actors, playwrights, poets and artists who refined their craft at Karamu and later found success on Broadway, in Hollywood and the stages and concert halls throughout the world."
The documentary sets out to explore all of this, relying on interviews with, among others, Karamu graduates Bill Cobbs and Vanessa Bell Calloway; Tony F. Sias, Karamu's president and CEO; Woodie King Jr. of the New Federal Theatre in New York; Vivian Wilson, Karamu's former marketing director; Dorothy Silver, the theater's former guest director; and Terrence Spivey, Karamu's former artistic director.
Spivey was dismissed as artistic director last spring, and, although his dismissal is not addressed, his presence in the film is crucial. He is the most constant and consistently lively voice in the documentary.
Schultz traces the theater's roots from its 1915 origins in a settlement house for immigrants on East 38th Street. He blazes along the trail, pausing on such key moments as the 1939 fire that destroyed the theater, the turbulent 1960s and the major shifts of the '70s.
Sias correctly sees this as not so much a story of survival as one of resilience. To correctly make that case, however, Schultz would have required another half-hour to dig a little deeper into areas touched on but not really examined to any satisfying degree.
If somewhat rushed from a historical standpoint, "Karamu" does soar as a celebratory piece. And that tone is wonderfully set by Pickens in his introduction.
"Karamu is a Swahili word that means 'place of joyful gathering,' " he says. "This theater and its original settlement house were just that - places of joyful and deeply meaningful gatherings. It's a magical and powerful place where dreams have often become reality."
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