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Circles have been universal throughout history, Evanston playwright Gloria Bond Clunie tells us. Hoops have delighted cultures all around the world, from ancient Egypt to the Parthenon. Native American nations use hoops to tell their stories in dance. And clearly, some of the children bouncing in and out of their seats during Clunie\u2019s play, The Hula Hoopin\u2019 Queen, were eager to start hooping on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The Young People\u2019s Theatre of Chicago is staging this delightful play adapted from the book<\/a> by Thelma Lynne Godin with illustrations by Vanessa Brantley-Newton. The production is lively and filled with music and movement. Music is by Thomas Johnson with movement directed by Tuesdai B. Perry. Randy White, the theater\u2019s artistic director, directs the play and his six-member cast responds with energy and playfulness. The play is a story about the importance of friendship and community, told in an appealing way for children and adults.<\/p>\n The Hula Hoopin\u2019 Queen is about three girls competing to be the Hula Hoopin\u2019 Queen of 139th Street (from Adam Clayton Powell on past Frederick Douglas Boulevard). Jamara (Livia Robin) assumes she\u2019ll win the crown and Kameeka (Aja Singletary) is her close competitor. Their friend Portia (Sol Fuller) does hoopin\u2019 and is also an expert at rappin\u2019 rhymes, which the girls do to a rhythmic beat. They\u2019re competitors but also best friends.<\/p>\n When Jamara announces they will compete for the crown (based on who can hoop the longest) at a certain time on Saturday, Kameeka agrees. \u00a0The girls live in a Harlem community where neighbors are friends and helpers to others. The girls forget that the same Saturday will be the 80th birthday party for Miz Adeline (Melanie Hubbard), a neighborhood event being organized by Kameeka\u2019s Mama (Jazzma Pryor). She\u2019ll expect Kameeka to be home helping her prepare, cook and bake\u2014especially the \u201cdouble chocolate fudge cake with fresh strawberries and real whipped cream,\u201d which is Miz Adeline\u2019s very favorite cake. And therein is the dilemma that the play builds on. How will Kameeka be able to help Mama get ready for the party and also compete for the hula hoopin\u2019 crown?<\/p>\n Miz Adeline and Miz Evelyn (Michelle Bester) are the senior citizens of the community and friends of Mama. The three older women, we learn, are former hula hoopers and by the end of the play, all six characters, young and older, are showing their hula hoopin\u2019 powers.<\/p>\n The width of the downstairs mainstage at the Greenhouse Theater Center works well for the play\u2019s design. Scenic designer Annie Smith creates a community with two homes, 203A and 203B, with front steps and playing space nearby. A counter is wheeled in to become the\u00a0 kitchen and party d\u00e9cor appears later. The all-important birthday props and hula hoops are by Nicolas Bartleson. Lighting is by Kevin Lechner. Sound design is by Zach Stinnett. Marquecia Jordan is costume designer. Jonathan Yawn is stage manager.<\/p>\n Gloria Bond Clunie is an award-winning playwright, director, and educator. She is the founding artistic director of Evanston\u2019s Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre where she has directed productions including Ain’t Misbehavin’, Purlie Victorious, Ceremonies in Dark Old Men, and Raisin. Her other works include\u00a0Drip;\u00a0Secrets; the musical\u00a0Sing, Malindy, Sing!;\u00a0Merry Kwanzaa;\u00a0Dreams;\u00a0Smoke;\u00a0Quark; and an adaptation of Patricia McKissack’s\u00a0Mirandy and Brother Wind.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Hula Hoopin\u2019 Queen by Young People\u2019s s Theatre of Chicago continues thru May 31 at the\u00a0 Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. Running time is 70 minutes, no intermission. The play is best for ages 5+. Tickets ($32.50 and $22.50 for under 12) for weekend daytime performances are available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more information on this and other productions, see\u00a0theatreinchicago.com.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/YPTCHI-Hula-Hoopin-Queen-Production-Photography-0555.jpg\")
The cast of The Hula Hoopin’ Queen. Photo by Steven Townshend \/ Distant Era.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/YPTCHI-Hula-Hoopin-Queen-Production-Photography-0379.jpg\")
Aja Singletary and Jazzma Pryor as Kameeka and Mama. Photo by Steven Townshend \/ Distant Era.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/YPTCHI-Hula-Hoopin-Queen-Production-Photography-0700-2.jpg\")
Aja Singletary and Livia Robin. Photo by Steven Townshend \/ Distant Era.<\/p>\n