Racism and prejudice. Is it biological? Is it innate? Is it just how our brains “work”?
Those are a few of the questions that popped into my head and Broadway Black attending the Off-Broadway premier of Smart People written by the brilliant Lydia R. Diamond (Stick Fly), and directed by the talented Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon (A Rasin In The Son).
The play revolved around a diverse and highly intelligent foursome who interact romantically and professionally from 2007 to 2009 (following the Obama campaign, up until his presidency) in Cambridge, Ma. Smart People isn’t told like a typical play, it unfolds in a series of short vignettes; which transitions smoothly on Riccardo Hernandezs’ simplistic-yet sleek set. As these characters connect and struggle to figure out the delicate extremities of their relationships to one another — and more importantly how race and gender fit into that — the play essentially forces us to hold up a mirror to the systematic and social problems we are currently facing in our ever-growing racially and ethnically diverse society.
Now, the cast is nothing short of amazing. In her off-Broadway debut, Tessa Thompson portrays “Valerie”, an African-American actress trying to establish herself but must deal with racial stereotyping whenever she auditions for parts (There’s a great bit about the chitlin-circut). Thompson, seamlessly goes through all the motions whether it be anger or flirty banter. She is just as expressive on stage as she is in film.
Delivering an equally talented performance is Mahershala Ali as “Jackson”, an African-American surgical intern and graduate of Harvard Medical School and owner of a low-income clinic, who constantly has to deal with feeling inadequate to his white peers, despite his obvious intelligence. There is a monologue that Ali delivers that is truly gut-wrenching, and goes along with what almost every Black child has had to come to terms with.
Rounding out the performances are Anne Son as “Ginny” , a Chinese-Japanese-American professor of psychology at Harvard who studies race and identity among Asian-American women, but has some identity and control issues of her own (Ginny also makes a valid remark about Asian-Americans and other PoC groups being left out of the dialogue on race) and Joshua Jackson as “Brian White”- a White neuropsychiatrist and Harvard professor who has been studying neurological responses to images of non-Whites and has concluded that whites are essentially born racist. A statement that is so scary to even think about. It’s through Brian’s research that these characters find themselves questioning their identities and even those around them. The profound impact of race and prejudice lie heavily on all of the characters’ backs, and this play explores the complexities around race and prejudice and its effects on not only White people, but also people of color.
Diamond’s writing is strong here. They play is complex, it’s witty and it’s filled with underlying tension that is what I think Broadway needs to have. Especially with everything that is going on today, this piece is extremely timely. And if you happen to have the opportunity to see this show, the last tableau provides the kind of imagery that will have you awake all night long.
The play is currently playing until March 6th at the Tony Kiser Theatre (305 West 43rd Street). Tickets can be purchased at the box office, by calling 212.246.4422 , or online here.
