Dominic Morisseau’s “Skeleton Crew,” tells the story of four individuals working in an auto stamping plant in Detroit. Faye, Reggie, Shanita, and Dez struggle with the reality of their lives while deciding what to do if their plant shuts down. Morisseau’s play explores themes dealing with the black familial structure and culture. Whether it is through the budding relationship of Dez and Shanita or Faye and Reggie’s mother/son relationship, Morisseau uses the characters in “Skeleton Crew” to communicate the complexities of black families.
The first relationship the audience learns about is between Dez and Shanita. Dez is constantly hitting on the very pregnancy and unamused Shanita. Through the dialogue it is clear that Shanita’s relationship with boyfriend, her baby’s father, is strained. Shanita never mentions her boyfriend, other than chastising Faye for bringing up the fact that she comes into to work crying. Shanita is young and just starting her journey into …show more content…
To say that Faye, the eldest of the group and the matriarch, is not as bright-eyed as Shanita, would be an understatement. Faye has put in her time as a mother, provider, lover, and the world has been harsh to her. It is revealed through the development of the storyline that Faye’s estranged relationship with her son is due to her sexual orientation. Reggie, a close family friend somewhat fills that role of son, but their relationship is also complicated because he serves as Faye’s supervisor. The strength of their bond is tested when Reggie is told that he needs to fire Faye because she is “dead weight.” Reggie ends up nearly attacking his supervisor and risk losing his job. To prevent this from happening Faye resigns, sacrificing herself, a better retirement deal and benefits so that Reggie can keep his job. After the audience learns that Faye has resigned, it is presumed that she has either moved to Florida or moved in with