that Cabin in the Sky was a product, however well-intentioned, of an America that practiced at the very least a subliminal racism, including on its mainstream stages. Green also saw that the top-flight black performers in the Encores! Cabin being “available for this production says a lot about the conditions still governing the commercial theater.” Nonetheless, as even Green acknowledged, seeing even “compromised” plays like this one—and Encores! has staged quite a few of them in its history—is a useful and worthwhile practice lest we forget that aspect of our theater history. Furthermore, Green suggests, “the opportunity to keep black musical artists working, if even on thorny material like this, is not to be gainsaid.”)
The story of Cabin in the Sky is of chronic gambler and womanizer “Little Joe” Jackson (Michael Potts) who, having been slashed by Domino Johnson (Jonathan Kirkland) at John Henry’s club over an unpaid IOU, lies on his deathbed. As Little Joe is attended by Dr. Jones (Wayne Pretlow) and Brother Green (J. D. Webster), the pastor, Joe’s wife, the devout Petunia Jackson (LaChanze), prays to God not to take her husband, whom she says is really a good man at heart. She even promises that if God gives Joe back to her, she’ll gladly go with him when his final time comes. On the scene is the Head Man (Chuck Cooper), Lucifer’s agent, perched on a gold throne, aided by three Henchmen (Dennis Stowe, Tiffany Mann, Rebecca L. Hargrove), expecting to pick up Little Joe’s soul. Dr. Jones pronounces Joe dead, but Petunia’s prayers have reached Heaven and the Lord’s General (Norm Lewis) arrives on a silver throne with three Angels (Nicholas Ward, Kristolyn Lloyd, Jared Joseph). The two supernatural figures argue over who should get Joe’s soul, and they strike a deal to give Little Joe six months to redeem himself by living a moral life.
Joe rises from his bed, much to the surprise of everyone—and the delight of Petunia. Joe intends to live a Godly life, but he’s sorely tempted. He attends church with his wife and stays away from gambling and John Henry’s place—until a fellow comes around selling sweepstake tickets. Joe refuses at first, but in the end, breaks down and buys just one ticket. Meanwhile, he’s watched over by the ever-vigilant Petunia, who takes John Henry (Harvy Blanks) and his men on to “settle” a craps debt—by beating them at their own game with the loaded dice they tried to switch on her! With Petunia keeping her eye on Little Joe on behalf of the Lord, he’s still stalked by Georgia Brown (Carly Hughes), a gold-digging vamp who learns that the sweepstake ticket Joe bought is a winner and, on the side of the Devil, tempts Joe to go off to live the high life with her.
Petunia returns from an errand just at that moment and thinks that Joe has brought Georgia into her house to cheat on her. Petunia never lets her husband explain how the woman came to be there and Petunia sends both of them packing. They head to John Henry’s club, stopping on the way to acquire some sharp duds—Joe enters in black tie and a topper! Who else should arrive at John Henry’s but Petunia herself, come to drown her disappointment in Joe. Domino Johnson, who’s just been let out of jail for carving Joe up in the first place, shows up to finish the job. Domino’s finished his sentence of six months—exactly the length of Little Joe’s reprieve. When Domino makes for Joe, Petunia intercedes and pushes Domino away. But the assailant turns, pulls out a pistol and shoots both Little Joe and Petunia.
No one doubts that Petunia’s bound for Heaven, but once again, the Lord’s General and the Head Man vie for Joe’s soul. The Head Man expects to take him because he slipped, and the Lord’s General, reading from a ledger, seems to say that Joe’s tally comes out on the Devil’s side. But there’s a flag on the play because Georgia Brown, the cause of Joe’s downfall, felt so bad about her part in Joe’s death (time has moved faster on Earth than in Heaven, so it’s many years later now), that she joined the church, opened a school for orphans and spent the 