Where:
ArtsEmerson
219 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02116
Admission:
FREE
Categories:
Art, Date Idea, Performing Arts
ArtsEmerson and the Mayor’s Office of Resilience and Racial Equity present Mr. Joy: The Neighborhood Tour, a series of free theatre performances in four neighborhoods of Boston of Daniel Beaty’s Mr. Joy, a play that explores issues of race and class in America to help us find our common humanity. Tickets to all performances on the tour are free; however, due to limited space, advance reservations are strongly encouraged.
PLAY SYNOPSIS: What happened to Mr. Joy? A Harlem community is shaken when Mr. Joy, a Chinese immigrant whose shoe repair shop has been a neighborhood pillar for decades, is the victim of an attack. Through the lens of Mr. Joy's customers, from the bubbly eleven-year-old Clarissa (who captured everyone's heart in Daniel Beaty's Emergency) to the sincere and savvy “gangsta granny” Bessie, we learn the profound yet unassuming impact the shop owner has had on each of their lives. Playwright and ArtsEmerson Artist-in-Residence Daniel Beaty (Breath & Imagination, Emergency) returns with another moving reflection on transforming pain into power, this time through the virtuosic performance by acclaimed actress Adobuere Ebiama. A poignant, funny and stirring solo piece, Mr. Joy invites us to consider how we respond to violence as individuals and as a community, and the power of the invisible ties that bind us all.
Tour Dates:
Hyde Park, Riverside Theater Works April 1 at 8pm and April 2 at 3pm
Allston, Jackson/Mann Community Center April 7 and 8 at 7pm
East Boston, Zumix Firehouse April 15 at 8pm and 16 at 3pm
Dorchester, Strand Theater April 21 at 7:30pm and 22 at 8pm
Friday, Sep 13, 2024 5:00p
Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre
Sunday, Dec 08, 2024 goes until 12/22
Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre
Saturday, Sep 14, 2024 10:15a
Benson's Pond