“Dot” at Detroit Public Theatre @ Metro Times
I juggled attending a Sunday matinee of Dot, a holiday-time family dramedy and the newest offering from Detroit Public Theatre’s second season, with coordinating the arrival of my parents for a long holiday visit. Taking a break from garden-variety disputes about breakfast venues and car rental arrangements for an afternoon of theater centered around a family attempting to come to grips with the onset of dementia in the titular character, Dot felt initially like the least escapist form of entertainment possible.
And yet, in an era of entertainment that can offer much in the way of dazzling special effects, theater retains its relevance precisely in its ability to present human-scale drama, and the script by award-winning actor, playwright, and director Colman Domingo deals humorously with an array of difficult subjects that are deeply relatable.
“We are so thrilled to share this story with Detroit. While this play does deal with Alzheimer’s, there is humor around that, around how we deal with issues of aging parents, around family, and the way in which we love, fight, and take care of each other. Colman does a beautiful job of bringing all of these elements together in order to tell one cohesive story.”