Guest Scribe Review September 2019
“...in the end as Ezra is throwing himself at Baldwin sums the reason for the name of the play.”
A play well worth seeking out
By Jimbe Carroll
Guest Scribe
James Baldwin, 20th century author of profound books
such as Another Country, The Fire Next Time and Go Tell It on the Mountain, writings always addressed the complexities at the heart of America from an outsider’s view. A play BALDWIN’S NI$$ER written and directed by Reginald T. Jackson made its Off Broadway debut at the Strawberry Theater Festival.
The play opens in Harlem during late 60 in a room that author James Baldwin lived. There in the single room are modest furniture, books, a typewriter and plenty of alcohol and cigarettes. The door opens, James and an invited guest enter. Sentell Harper who portrays Baldwin, embodies him with candor and relevance. His persona seeps straight through his facial expression, body gesture and intonation of each word. The guest, played by Sean Mannix, is the mythical character named Ezra a Jewish man who has a quirky and slightly self depreciating style but very persistent in what he wants. Ezra wants to interview Baldwin and is offering him a donation to the Civil Rights Movement with a check for one million dollars.
James, being the complex-ed man that he is, offers a wager to Ezra in that there would be a sort of game they would play in that for each question he answers truthfully there would be an additional zero added to the check; by the number of course. The questions dealt with Baldwin’s subjects in his writing, his techniques, his sexuality and his political stances. After schooling Ezra in what it meant and felt like for a Black person to be underrated and called terms out of their character - his naivety, though innocent, of Baldwin’s statements has an underlying doubt toward James.
The challenging of Baldwin’s statements or quotes by Ezra seems to be a constant in their dialog. The questions start to go in another area that was not in the agreement- personal and that’s when the tensions rev up between the two. Ezra is fishing for something more specific outside of the writing realm. At one point James responds with “I wear my work on my sleeve but not my bedroom goings-on.”
As the questions progress to a more personal level, the intentions of Ezra changes to a more intimate conquest as he removes an article of clothing each time James answers a question; similar to strip poker but with no winnings. Baldwin doesn’t acknowledge the undressing of his over-the-line pursuer but is keenly observant of his actions. The dialog between the two explores the details of Baldwin’s intertwined personal and professional life and relationships as a Black and same gender loving man in the late 50s and early 60s, pre-sexual revolution.
As Baldwin is asked by Ezra about his appearance to speak at the National March on Washington being dropped because of his sexuality, he retorts “My sexuality did not and does not make me any less of a Negro, the fact is that people have hatred in their heart is a label they hide behind.”
He also asked him of what he thought of the possibility of having a 1st Black president and his response for that time, was so on point and current to the Era of Obama. “It isn’t the hypothetical question of if we’ll have the first Black president, I’m more concerned of what kind of country he’ll be president of.” There was a very loud silence in the theater when Sentell (the actor who portrays J. Baldwin) said that.
That prophetic statement by Baldwin which went completely and typically unresponsive to by Ezra shows how a Black man, of even James Baldwin’s stature, is taken lightly in that period and in the present day. And in the end as Ezra is throwing himself at Baldwin sums the reason for the name of the play. The spoiler is not gonna be given away here. A play well worth seeking out.
