HOOP DREAMS IN HARLEM

Young People’s Theatre closes its season
with a charming, energetic celebration of
childhood, friendship, and community

Livia Robin (Jamara), Aja Singletary (Kameeka), and Sól Fuller (Portia)

In The Hula-Hoopin’ Queen, the stakes are very low; to an adult, that is. But if you’re a 10-year-old girl like Kameeka (or her friend Jamara), being crowned the Hula-Hoopin’ Queen of 139th Street is nearly as important as life itself. Understanding this distinction is key to the success of Young People’s Theatre’s delightful production.

Livia Robin

On a beautiful day in Harlem, New York, three girls — best friends all — are walking down 139th street carrying hula hoops. As they chat, they start to bicker. You see, Jamara (Livia Robin) is renowned for her hula hooping skills. So much so that she has anointed herself the Hula-Hoopin’ Queen. This self-aggrandizement does not sit well with Portia (Sól Fuller), and especially not with Kameeka (Aja Singletary). Incensed, and spurred on by Portia, Kameeka challenges Jamara to a hula hooping contest; the winner will be crowned Queen. Jamara picks Saturday for the contest and Kameeka agrees. The game is on.

Aja Singletary and Jazzma Pryor (Mama)

Only there’s one problem: Saturday is also the birthday of Miz Adeline (Melanie Hubbard), Kameeka’s much adored neighbor, and not only has Kameeka convinced the entire neighborhood to come out and celebrate the birthday, she’s also promised her Mama (Jazzma Pryor) that she will help her bake Miz Adeline’s favorite cake: a complicated concoction that will take all morning leaving precious little time for life-changing hula hooping contests.

The Cast

From this simple premise, YPT — with the help of Thelma Lynne Godin‘s beloved children’s book adapted by Evanstonian Gloria Bond Clunie — have spun a thoroughly enchanting tale about the trials and tribulations of childhood. Annie Smith’s charming set depicts the front doors of two neighboring apartments in a brick building. Instead of bicycles, hoops lean against the stoop railing. Hoops are everywhere, including the theatre ceiling, where they pulse with an eerie glow when the hula hooping fever starts to take over the characters, suggesting the hoops themselves have an otherworldly influence.

Aja Singletary and Livia Robin

As Kameeka frantically tries to balance her chores for the party with her desire to beat Jamara, several life lessons are gently imparted to her and the other girls by the adults in their lives. Crucially, these are not lectures, but insinuations about the importance of friendship, healthy competition, and what it means to win or lose. One of the loveliest aspects of this story is that at no point is the friendship of the three girls at risk. Kameeka and Portia still love Jamara; they just want to take her down a peg or two.

Aja Singletary

All the actors are excellent, but really this comes down to Kameeka, and Aja Singletary is wonderful in the part, effortlessly balancing slapstick, comic timing, and the emotional beats, without ever becoming schmaltzy. Livia Robin is a gloriously regal Jamara, perfectly channeling the smugness of the character. Her descent down the stairs with a tiara is a sight gag for the ages. As children, we’ve all known a kid like her — *cough* some of us might have been that kid *cough*.

Aja Singletary

Hula-Hoopin’ Queen closes YPT’s fourth season and after viewing this show, as well as its brilliant productions of The Hobbit and A Year with Frog and Toad earlier in the schedule, all I have to say is that I am sorry I haven’t taken in their shows in seasons past. Director Randy White, who has helmed all three shows, has a remarkable gift for speaking to young audiences — never patronizing or condescending to them. It’s not as easy as it sounds and it’s produced three of the most charming afternoons I’ve had at the theatre in the last several months. I shall not make the mistake of underestimating them again.

And I want a double-fudge chocolate cake with strawberries and REAL whipped cream for my birthday too!

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photos by Steven Townshend / Distant Era

The Hula-Hoopin’ Queen
Young People’s Theatre Chicago
Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago
70 minutes, no intermission
Sat at 11; Sun at 11 & 1:30 (check for weekday matinees)
ends on May 31, 2026
for tickets ($21.50-$32.50), call 773.404.7336 or visit YPT Chicago

for more shows, visit Theatre in Chicago

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