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“God gave Noah the rainbow sign. No more water, the fire next time!”—James Baldwin
What would James Baldwin, the prolific author and civil rights activist, think about the world today? Since Baldwin died in 1987, we’ve seen the repeal of certain rights for women and attacks on people across the sexual spectrum. These two issues feature prominently in Baldwin’s conversation with author, poet and activist, Nikki Giovanni, which was recorded in London for the television program “Soul!” and aired in 1971. The conversation receives an artistic twist in Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre’s “The Baldwin | Giovanni Experience,” adapted by Tim Rhoze and Bria Walker-Rhoze, running through November 16 at Noyes Cultural Arts Center.
Directed by Rhoze, the play reimagines the historic dialogue through spoken word poetry, dance and music on a stage decorated with scenic murals by Sholo Beverly—two paintings on either side of the stage composed of squiggly lines that resemble rocky canyons viewed from above, and one in the center, composed of two colorful circles on the outer edge of a large ring that fail to penetrate through to the white center.
Fleetwood-Jourdain treats the dialogue between Baldwin and Giovanni with all the respect it deserves. Sean Blake perfectly embodies Baldwin’s intensity and inflections of speech and recreates his smooth mannerisms; Rachel Blakes plays Giovanni with intensity and exigence. The dialogue has been converted to poetry, the ends of phrases rounded to rhyme, giving both speakers’ profound statements and inquiries a heightened sense of eloquence. The play alternates between poetic patter and interludes in various styles indicative of Black American music, composed by Ethan Korvne—if you’ve ever wanted to see James Baldwin rapping while wearing hip red sunglasses, now is your chance! Choreography by Blake and Kara Roseborough tastefully supports the music and poetry by physically accenting the cadence of the actors’ speech and singing.
These artistic additions enhance the weighty ideas from the dialogue. The actual conversation between Baldwin and Giovanni moves briskly, and the conversion to poetry forces the actors to slow down their speech, which give their concepts, questions and prescriptions a high degree of digestibility. Interactions with the scenery, such as when they trace their fingers along the paintings’ squiggles as if navigating treacherous terrain, are apt metaphors for the uphill struggle for racial, sexual and gender equality in the United States. During a heated debate about Black men abusing Black women—which Baldwin posits is a response from the former being dehumanized in the workplace—suddenly, the lights drop out, then pulse in timed sequences as the actors appear frozen in scenarios of domestic abuse, the effect of which sends chills down the spine. The addition of poetry, song and dance turns a dramatic conversation into a work of performance art.
After considering the play’s content, I think that Baldwin would be disappointed in the world today. Living in exile in Paris to avoid racial and sexual oppression (he was gay), Baldwin would surely be upset (though not surprised) that people still say, “If you don’t like this country, then move!” As society again embraces the fear of the “other,” we struggle to find solutions that will change hearts and minds. One solution: More plays like this! Fleetwood-Jourdain brings the fire in “The Baldwin | Giovanni Experience,” a touching tribute to two towering intellectuals and their powerful ideas.
“The Baldwin | Giovanni Experience” is presented by Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre and runs through November 16 at Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes Street, Evanston. Tickets are $32, available at fjtheatre.com.
