On the 11th of August 2024 my cousin and I went to see 'Slave Play'. I'm at the stage of my life where I'm done with Black trauma being used as entertainment. There are only so many times you can show me a slavery re-enactment or segregation-era depiction, and we passed that quota in 2013, with '12 Years A Slave' and a black actor Oscar win for Best Performance in a whipping scene. #NotRudeHonest
I make it a point not to watch trailers or read reviews of movies or plays if I intend to view them, but I had heard that this particular play had amazing reviews, starred Kit Harington who is a great actor (I don't know if I'll ever recover from how Game of Thrones ended 🥀), and had been nominated for many awards. I also knew it was written by a Black man, and I am always eager to support Black people, especially in mediums in which there are few, like theatre.
As I had been assured that the play wasn't about slavery, I assumed that the title was just for provocative purposes, so when my cousin asked me to go see it, I was happy to. Nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to watch, and I regretted my decision within the first 5mins.
My cousin's take on the play:
I saw Slave Play and I don’t know what to make of it. If you can, go and see it. Theatre is a medium that is almost always full of white faces, and I’m not too sure how comfortable I am with those same faces laughing at the subject matter. Where the play works best is when the anger is raw and unfiltered, but so many times it just didn’t come full circle. I came out wondering what was the point of the whole thing. The last scene is powerful and handled delicately but, spoiler alert, I don’t know if I needed to see another black body brutalised, even if that’s what the subject wanted.
It feels like the play is trying to tell a powerful story about racism, but this is punctured by the many instances of humour that seem to be there to make the audience more comfortable; I would argue they just make you wonder why you are here in the first place. I think if you have not seen the whole thing you should not argue about it, especially if you walked out after the first 30mins. I don’t blame you though, it is a a lot! You are thrown into a situation that you know nothing about and well, it is a lot, like I said.
How do I feel about it? I don’t know. Would I see it again? No thanks. Would I recommend it? Yes, so I can have others to discuss it with. More black people should experience theatre. In a post BLM world (lol) I know the play offers a view on interracial relationships, whiteness, intersectionality and those who have a voice and power. See it if you can, but if you don’t like it, I didn’t send you.
There will never be a setting in which I will be comfortable with non-Black people laughing at the face of Black trauma, and I feel like the whole concept of the play poorly portrayed real struggles. The play left me with a very bitter taste in my mouth, one that I hope to forget some time soon.
Unlike my cousin, I don't ever want to have to discuss that play, and if it comes to your city, I do not recommend you see it. Consider this a stern warning.
Not Rude, Honest
xxx
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