Get ready for a spellbinding toe-tapper that grabs hold of you immediately and has you walking out with a swing in your step. Studio Arena rings in the New Year soulfully with Regina Taylor's distinctive musical, Crowns, adapted from the book Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats by Michael Cunningham and Craig Maybery.

The play weaves a juxtaposition of meaning, faith, tradition, and roots within the story of African-American hat queens and their church hats, pridefully called "crowns" –a symbol of "what you wear in heaven, when you are going to meet the king".

The story is told through Yolanda, played by Roz Davis, a street wise homegirl in search of herself after the violent shooting death of her bother. Yolanda's mother ships her off to the south to stay with Mama Shaw (Barbara D. Mills) and take a journey of re-discovery. She arrives with a chip on her shoulder bolstered by the culture shock of North meeting South.

Crowns is depicted in both a literal and somewhat metaphorical account by a flavorful cast each taking on multiple roles. Yolanda grabs on to her roots through the significance and culture of "putting something on your head" that has its origins in Africa herself.

Barbara D. Mills brings down the house as Mama Shaw. Her rich, baritone voice and face full of expression convinced the audience of being in a gospel church to such an extent, you could hear appreciative responses throughout the theatre.

The set, a simple and unique floor and wall of wooden boards, allows shadows to change the look of scene or introduce a chapter.

Added to the experience is percussionist Romero Wyatt whose obvious display of love and enthusiasm for his art is contagious as he performed drumming, stomping, clapping and dancing. A few numbers were sung without any accompaniment other then Romero's genius yet were more moving than the addition of instruments.

Crowns is a stimulating and entertaining cultural history lesson that endears audiences to its characters and brings forth a range of emotions while bringing the room to its feet with applause before the cast had left the stage.