American Players Theatre: Dontrell, Who Kissed The Sea
Derrick Moore
American Players Theatre Presents DONTRELL, WHO KISSED THE SEA Review - Do You Find Yourself Moving Forward in the Past?
TLDR: A young man of 18, Dontrell has his future laid out ahead of him going to a good school and making his family proud with his achievements. But when it feels like his past and ancestors are calling out to him from a dream, he is propelled to answer the call in Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea.
The cast of Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea
The Past is Calling
They gather.
They find the collective heartbeat.
Their footsteps in lockstep to create a rhythm.
They walk across the stage towards Dontrell one right after the other.
They provide their offering on his journey, their lines spoken like lines from a poem.
The lights change from dim blues and purples to a spotlight on the young man.
“Captain’s log…” he starts and describes his dream into a handheld tape recorder. This is Dontrell -The Third, to be more specific - played by Derrick Moore. He’s 18 and about to leave for college at the end of the summer. But something has been plaguing him, haunting him, calling to him through his dreams. He’s seen his ancestors in his dreams and feels like there is something they need, something he needs to discover or find the answer about.
Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea takes us on a journey of a young man searching for a piece of himself that was lost decades ago in his family’s history.
Surrounded By The Present
In the middle of these scenes where his past is calling to him, we see him in real life chasing what these dreams and his purpose might be. He sets out in Baltimore to discover why the sea is calling to him, tape recorder in hand to log his messages along the way. He’s surrounded by family (biological and chosen) who try to help him and protect him when they know his head is somewhere else.
Dee Dee Batteast wears a John Hopkins t-shirt as she exasperatedly tells Dontrell to please just make it through the summer and get to college, but still points him in the right direction she knows he needs to go.
Jamie Herb as Erika, saves his life as the lifeguard on duty at the pool, but allows him space to dream as she herself shows vulnerability.
And Jazzma Pryor as his cousin, Shea, delivers the final piece to push him towards what he needs to do as she sees deeper than just what’s on the surface to the naked eye.
Moore feels the pull of staying put and keeping on the path laid out in front of him against the tug of his past calling to him. He must decide whether he should ignore that calling or set out to finish what previous generations couldn’t.
The cast of Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea
Every Piece Has Its Purpose
All the design elements for Dontrell feel simple and minimal, yet everything has a purpose.
The imagery in the set design is thoughtful and each piece works double duty like platforms becoming his best friend’s car, played by Rasell Holt, or the bed aboard a slave ship. The lighting transports us from the land as lighting under the circular stage becomes the sea itself. The costumes make sense from the modern clothes reflecting each character to traditional West African garb as Dontrell meets his ancestors. And the movement and rhythm the cast creates acts as the undercurrent connecting us all and propelling us to the culminating scene.
Jazzma Pryor and Derrick Moore
The After Party Thoughts
Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea feels like it represents so many things. A family worried about their son. A past and legacy taken from a people. Friendship and true love. Finding your roots. It fulfills both a story rooted in real life and takes us to a place of mysticism. It has both comedic moments as our main characters are still human and dealing with human life and emotion, but a seriousness underpinning this need to understand the uprooting of millions of African people.
For those that aren’t interested in shows about ancestry or family dynamics (or if you’re a scuba instructor like me trying to hold myself back from yelling at Dontrell just wanting to jump in the ocean and scuba dive without PROPER TRAINING), this may not be the show for you. But for those that are looking for a journey of discovery with otherworldly elements, Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea would be a good fit for you!
RECOMMENDED
Derrick Moore and Rasell Holt
When
Now through September 25, 2026
Where
American Players Theatre
5950 Golf Course Rd.
Spring Green, WI 53588
Runtime: 95min, no intermission
Tickets
$52+
Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at 608-588-2361 or through the American Players Theatre website
Photos
Dan Norman
Find Allie and The After Party featured on Theatre in Chicago
CAST
Derrick Moore (Dontrell Jones III)
Jamie Herb (Erika)
Gavin Lawrence (Dad / Dontrell Jones Jr.)
Dee Dee Batteast (Mom / Sophia Jones)
Samantha Newcomb (Danielle)
Jazzma Pryor (Shea)
Rasell Holt (Robby)
Jacob Alexander Craig (Musician)
Kayla Mariah Fifer (Ancestors)
Byron Johnson (Ancestors)
The cast of Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea
CREATIVE
Tyrone Phillips (Director)
Jacqueline Springfield (Voice & Text Coach)
Paul Kim (Costume Designer)
Lawrence E. Moten III (Scenic Designer)
Daniel Allen (Co-Scenic Designer)
Jason Lynch (Lighting Designer)
Connor Wang (Music Composition & Sound Designer)
Victor Musoni (Choreographer)
Logan Benson (Assistant Costume Designer)
Jalon Payton (Assistant Stage Manager)
Lina Benich (Stage Manager)