DETROIT, MI: The Michigan Opera Theatre this weekend will perform, Blue, the story of an African-American family living in contemporary Harlem.

In Blue, the father is a police officer whose teenage son is shot dead by a white policeman. The opera tells the story of a loving, tight-knit family in modern-day Harlem struggling against increasing odds as the father proudly dons the blue uniform of NYPD while his son grows more politically active and socially aware.

Caught between them, the mother endures her own struggles as peacemaker. Even with her family’s beauty, talent, and success, she can never escape the painful knowledge that, every single day, their lives are at stake.

Blue features a richly evocative libretto by playwright Tazewell Thompson and masterful score by lauded theatrical composer Jeanine Tesori (Broadway’s Fun Home and Caroline, or Change). MOT’s production is directed by New York-based theater artist Kaneza Schaal, renowned for her visceral, grand style aimed at delivering the truth.

With music that balances celebratory moments with powerful arias, this unforgettable contemporary work asks us to create a world where the greatest concern for Black parents in America is if their children will grow up to be happy–not if their children will grow up at all.