Karamu Performing Arts Theatre

This review is divided into two parts: one is about the high caliber of the recent show we saw at Karamu and one is about the facility itself which is about to enjoy some renovation.
A group of us luckily went to see the great Karamu production of «Leap of Faith» over the holidays. We were so happy we did! The talent, energy and performance was electrifying. There were a number of stand-​outs in the cast. The name we will remember particularly was the lead, performed by a terrific actor and singer, Robert E. Hunter. We hope to see him perform again and have to believe he is destined for Broadway!
We congratulate Karamu and the cast for carrying their performances to Dec. 27^th since the weekend after Christmas is often lacking in cultural happenings. As an observation, we saw a very few Caucasians other than ourselves in the audience. We hadn’t been to this theater for quite awhile and we hope that other Karamu performances are deservedly supported by a diverse audience.
The other comment that has to be made is about the facility itself. Happily, Karamu has received a grant for a little «redo» of the seats which are comfortable but we understood to be the original seats since Karamu was founded 100 years ago. Even though there is something to be said for being in seats which go back at least to when Sammy Davis Jr. performed there, one change is badly needed.
One person in our group and one other person in the audience were in wheelchairs. The wheelchair access to the theater was fine as were the bathrooms. The only place for wheelchairs during the performance was far from ideal and needs to change during the renovation.
We are looking forward to more Karamu performances and suggest people check out up-​coming offerings. Cleveland has an abundance of talent in the performing arts and we hope to see more at Karamu that equal those performing in the «Leap of Faith».

America’s oldest African-​American cultural institution is right here in Cleveland. Founded in 1915 by two Oberlin graduates, Russell and Rowena Jelliffe, Karamu house began its life on the east side as the Playhouse Settlement. The Jelliffes specifically chose to pursue a program of racial, religious, and cultural integration and inclusion and strove to provide a venue for the city’s rapidly growing community of people of color.
The center changed its name to Karamu, a Swahili word meaning «place of joyful gathering», in 1941. Karamu’s theatre has hosted literally thousands of cultural events of all stripes – music, theatre and dance among them. Today it also hosts an early childhood development center, a cultural arts and education center, a youth theatre, and several resident theatre groups.
Even as other cultural institutions in Cleveland sputtered during the dark years of the late 60’s through the early 80’s, Karamu remained a vibrant, if at times challenged, sparkplug in Cleveland’s cultural scene, and today is a proud place for a proud city.