Jubilee @ Karamu

Through April 19, 2026

https://karamuhouse.org/

(216) 795-7070

 

Roy Berko
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

Howard Gollop
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Howard Gollop's review here.

Sheri Gross
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Sheri Gross' review here.

Mark Horning

This is music performed in its purest form with thirteen incredible voices blending together in heavenly harmony as their story of hardship and success unfolds before us. You will feel all of your emotions well up from deep inside as you laugh, cry, ponder and rejoice in the sanctity that is gospel music. 

To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's Review here.

Laura Kennelly
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Laura's posts at Cool Cleveland.

Kate Klotzbach
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Kate's posts here.

Gwendolyn Kochur
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Gwendolyn's posts here.

Dr. Yuko Kurahashi
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Yuko's posts here.

Joey Morona
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Joey's posts here.

 

Queens Girl-Black in the Green Mountains

Through March 8, 2026

https://karamuhouse.org/ 

(216) 795-7070

 

Roy Berko
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

Howard Gollop
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Howard Gollop's review here.

Sheri Gross
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Sheri Gross' review here.

Mark Horning

With all the high tech gadgets that have overtaken modern theater it is nice to come across a bit of true theater magic. This show is a prime example of how low tech can still tell an entertaining story by letting our imaginations fill in the blank spots. Come be wowed and entertained.

To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's Review here.

Laura Kennelly
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Laura's posts at Cool Cleveland.

Kate Klotzbach
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Kate's posts here.

Gwendolyn Kochur

“Queens Girl: Black in the Green Mountains” contains an inspiring tale of self-discovery and belonging, but what sets it apart from other plays is the strenuous demands it places on its central performer, and in Karamu’s case, that performer is a tour de force. 

To see a full review of this show, read Gwendolyn's review here.

Dr. Yuko Kurahashi

Jackson-Smith’s directing excels at blending public and personal histories, underscoring how one individual can be affected by sociopolitical movements, energy, and ideology while pursuing what she is passionate about—storytelling through theatre. 

To see a full review of this show, read Yuko's posts here.

Joey Morona
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Joey's posts here.

 

Karamu's Motown Christmas @ Playhouse Square

Through December 14, 2025

https://www.playhousesquare.org

(216-241-6000

 

Roy Berko
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

Howard Gollop
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Howard Gollop's review here.

Sheri Gross
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Sheri Gross' review here.

Mark Horning

If you are looking for a truly hip and exciting holiday show this is a must see. Being housed in the intimate Hanna Theatre brings everyone close to the action on stage. This show takes us back to a simpler time of the 50s when a few dollar ticket could have you see million dollar acts performing in your small town. Don’t “Shop Around” but instead experience the “Heatwave” of live performing at its best.

To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's Review here.

Laura Kennelly
Now at Playhouse Square’s Hanna Theater, the Karamu House’s A Motown Christmas radiates holiday spirit and plenty of joy. No story, just song after song, flashing soul, talent, and (yes!) glittery costumes galore. Part of what makes this holiday show, created and adapted by Nate Jacobs and directed by Karamu CEO Tony F. Sias, is—of course—the music. It’s a review of Motown’s greatest hits (you know, some of the ones some of us grew up with) by now-legendary artists such as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, The Jackson 5 and more. Many are officially “Christmas songs,” such as “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Others bring back memories, such as “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and “Stop! In the Name of Love.” Trust me here, unless you’ve had a very sheltered youth, you’ll recognize (and enjoy) this song-packed fest. Twenty-seven hits before intermission; eighteen afterwards. Good vibes flew all over the place. (Honestly, if the numbers had stopped after the first 27, it would have been plenty, but everybody cheerfully streamed back to their seats after intermission for second helpings of the music feast.)
To see a full review of this show, read Laura's posts at Cool Cleveland.

Kate Klotzbach
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Kate's posts here.

Gwendolyn Kochur
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Gwendolyn's posts here.

Dr. Yuko Kurahashi
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Yuko's posts here.

Joey Morona
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Joey's posts here.

 

Choir Boy @ Karamu House

Through May 18, 2025

http://www.karamuhouse.org 

(216) 795-7077

 

Mark Horning

This is a show that is full of surprises that encourages audiences to participate in their own way. It is a musical play that uses this tool to advance an idea of diversity, equity and inclusion...a lesson still in need of being taught more than ever. 

To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's Review here.

Dr. Yuko Kurahashi

Karamu House production’s Choir Boy, written by Tarell Alvin McCraney and directed by Nathan Henry, is a superb work with seven talented singers/performers and two seasoned actors, exploring and problematizing the very reality of the strict “code of ethics and morality” imposed, unrealistically and unpractically, on a group of a prestigious boarding high school—The Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys. In a 100-minute one-act show, the audience witnesses a series of vignettes that capture snips and pieces of a dormitory high school life centered on well-choreographed songs sung by the seven performers.  These “affluent” and privileged yet with dilemmas, traumas, and anxieties remind me of the two boarding school students–Omari and Jasmine–in Dominique Morriseau’s Pipeline.

To see a full review of this show, read Yuko's posts here.

J

Karamu House Black Nativity @ The Hanna Theatre

Through December 15, 2024

http://www.playhousesquare.org

(216) 241-6000

 

Mark Horning

Take my word for it, this is NOT your typical hum-drum Christmas themed show that will be forgotten in short order. This is two hours of solid entertainment that invites you to become an active participant. It is a joyful celebration that should be witnessed by all peoples of all ages. You cannot help be become involved. SOMEBODY SAY “AMEN!”

To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's Review here.

Purlie Victorious @ Karamu House

Through October 20, 2024

www.karamuhouse.org 

(216) 795-7077

Roy Berko

The cast, headed by Dyrell Barnett, as Purlie, gives full-effort and has some fine moments.  Treva Offutt directs. If you are interested in seeing a slice of Black Americana, and want to back the continued efforts of Karamu, the country’s oldest Black theatre, go see PURLIE VICTORIOUS!

To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

Mark Horning
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's Review here.

Chris Howey 

Both hilarious and pungent, the energy in this 1961 script written by the renowned actor Ossie Davis never flags since the excellent Karamu cast, under the direction of Treva Offutt, pays attention to every jot and tittle of Davis's words and intent.

To see a full review of this show, read Chris Howey's Review here.

Laura Kennelly
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Laura's posts at Cool Cleveland.

Dr. Yuko Kurahashi

It Happened In Atlanta @ Karamu House

Through March 30, 2024

https://karamuhouse.org/

(216) 795-7070

 

Mark Horning

This slice of urban Cleveland life will ring true especially with older married couples who would have sense enough NOT to play “the couples game” with each card being a hand grenade with the pin pulled and tossed aside. That fact withstanding, it was intriguing to see the created chaos and how each person worked to make everything right. A solid play with a solid performance worth seeing with your significant other.

To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's Review here.

Chris Howey
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Chris Howey's Review here.

Breakfast At The Bookstore @ Karamu House

Through February 18, 2024

http://www.karamuhouse.org

(216) 795-7070        

 

Roy Berko

 According to the program notes, Dot, the fulcrum around which the plot circulates, “represents the next generation of freedom fighters who refuse to be restricted by binaries and demand that we acknowledge their full humanity in all its complexity.”  Oh, if that were only true, and the playwright made this clearer in her writing.  As is, I doubt whether that erudite message was what many in the audience garnered from the presentation.

To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

Mark Horning

If you are looking for a bit of something different with hard hitting social commentary, look no further. This is an entertaining two hours with a profound message and a magnifying microcosm of the Black/White situation in Cleveland and the world both past and present. Come to the show and be enlightened. 

To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's Review here.

Chris Howey

The Breakfast at the Bookstore, carries a powerful message about the ways people in Cleveland's Black community were seeking sustenance—physically, mentally and spiritually—back in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

To see a full review of this show, read Chris Howey's Review here.

Yuko Kurahashi

Though The Breakfast at the Bookstore is packed with so many ideas—feminism, transgenderism, Black nationalism, Afrofuturism, and today’s activism, what comes back at the end of the show is “Free Breakfast.” A free breakfast program was started by the Black nationalist party in the late 1960s to nourish children—both their bodies and souls.  The “bookstore” was the venue that the Black activists used to educate and solidify their followers. Many Black-owned bookstore owners became the targets of the police and FBI harassment.    

To see a full review of this show, read Yuko Kurahashi's review here.

Black Nativity @ Allen Theatre (Karamu House)

Through December 16, 2023

https://karamuhouse.org/ 

(216) 241-6000

 

Roy Berko

Co-directors, Tony F. Siras and Errin Weaver, conceived a production that gives a true Afrocentric twist to the nativity that clearly stresses that Afro-people were there, are here and will be around for years to come!
To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

Sheri Gross
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Sheri Gross' review here.

Mark Horning

If you are looking for a holiday show that is truly inspiring then I suggest you get tickets right away to the Karamu House production of Langston Hughes’ “Black Nativity” on stage in the Allen Theatre at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio. You will find yourself singing and dancing along with the performers. Somebody say “Amen”!

To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's Review here.

Chris Howey
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Chris Howey's Review here.
o see a full review of this show, read Joey's posts here.

 

American Moor @ Karamu

Through May 29, 2022

https://www.karamuhouse.org/

(216) 795-7077

 

Roy Berko

For anyone who wants to experience a performance that balances dynamism and lyricism with amazing skill, AMERICAN MOOR is a must-see."   This is a sensational night of theatre.  Bravo!!!!

To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

Sheri Gross
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Sheri Gross' review here.

Mark Horning

It is refreshing to get a fresh interpretation of the Black situation as it applies to the theater and art. Words written over 400 years ago by Shakespeare come back to ring true in these days of struggle and Black Lives Matter. This show is a melding of classical and contemporary ideas flowing together that will fascinate all who go to see it. Be amazed.

To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's Review here.

Chris Howey

"Indeed, "American Moor" slings some decent Shakespeare, and is a play you should probably see more than once, to get the full effect. But one viewing is absolutely mandatory."

To see a full review of this show, read Chris Howey's Review here.

The Mountaintop @ Karamu House

Through March 6, 2022

https://www.karamuhouse.org/

(216) 795-7070

Sheri Gross
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Sheri Gross' review here.

Mark Horning

As midnight in Memphis, Tennessee passes into April 4^th, 1968 we catch a glimpse of a man of extreme stature as he struggles with the everyday challenges and temptations known to all of us. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has scaled The Mountaintop and has seen what awaits. It is a lesson in history as well as the human condition and well worth viewing.

To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's Review here.

Chris Howey
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Chris Howey's Review here.

Laura Kennelly
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Laura's posts at Cool Cleveland.

Kate Klotzbach
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Kate's posts here.

Joey Morona
No review yet.
To see a full review of this show, read Joey's posts here.

 

BLACK NATIVITY @ KARAMUThrough December 23, 2021

Through December 23, 2021

(216) 795-7077

https://www.karamuhouse.org/

 

Mark Horning

Somebody say Amen! That is exactly what you will say and how you will feel once you have witnessed the Karamu production of “Black Nativity”. This is a hand clapping joyous shout of celebration that must not be missed. It is a sure cure for the winter blahs. Come be saved!

To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's Review here.

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" @ Karamu House

Through October 31, 2021

https://www.karamuhouse.org/

 216-795-7070

Roy Berko

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM is a well-written, well-performed play, that grabs and holds the attention.  The author, August Wilson, as is his usual manner, brings a strong spotlight onto the plight of the Black population in America.  This is a production well worth seeing!  (Side-note:  The theatre is chilly.  Be advised to bring along a sweater or jacket.) 

To see a full review of this show, read Roy Berko's blog here.

Mark Horning

For any educator wishing to explain the concept of Critical Race Theory they need go no further than to share the production of August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” It is a microcosm of the American Black experience in the 20’s and for that matter much of history. The Karamu production of this epic play captures all of the tension, spirit and tragedy as originally intended.

To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's Review here.