美国国家公共电台 NPR With 'Slave Play,' A Young Playwright Provokes His Way To Broadway

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Even in Times Square, crammed¹ with tourists from around the world dodging² people in superhero costumes, the playwright³ Jeremy O. Harris stands out - walking down the sidewalk with two thick long braids, 6'5", dressed in a see-through shirt, carrying designer bags and smoking a cigarette. He's between Fashion Week events and his Broadway opening, approaching a marquee with his name on it.

JEREMY O HARRIS: We are standing⁴ on 45th Street across from the Golden Theatre and a sign that says, the single most daring thing I've seen in a theater in a long time.

SHAPIRO: And there's your name in big, black all-capital letters.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes, it's crazy. I don't know. I'm still, like, OK (laughter). I guess that's what's happening now.

SHAPIRO: That quote about the single most daring thing I've seen in the theater is from The New York Times, referring to the controversial, explicit⁶ and funny play that sent Jeremy O. Harris on a rocket trajectory⁷ to Broadway. It's called "Slave Play."

HARRIS: This is before Act 3. This is in Act 3.

SHAPIRO: Last week, we dropped by the theater for a final rehearsal⁸ before the first Broadway preview, when an audience can pay to see the show for about a month of performances before opening night. The show explores the legacy⁹ of slavery in interracial sexual dynamics¹⁰. It begins on a plantation¹¹ with a master-slave sexual scenario¹². The play is visceral and graphic¹³. It breaks pretty much every taboo¹⁴ around race and sex. And it is opening in a theater literally¹⁵ one block away from "Phantom¹⁶ Of The Opera" and "Frozen." Unlike those shows, the only tune¹⁷ people are likely to walk away humming here is a Rihanna number.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WORK")

RIHANNA: (Singing) Work, work, work, work, work. You see me, I be...

SHAPIRO: Jeremy O. Harris starts bouncing around in the theater as the music plays. The set is a two-story wall of mirrors reflecting our faces back at us. At the top of those mirrors, a lyric¹⁸ from that Rihanna song, "Work."

HARRIS: We have to walk a really far way up to the green room.

SHAPIRO: Harris is the youngest black man ever to have a play he's written open on Broadway. He just turned 30. And this opening is coming less than a year after the play ran off-Broadway. That kind of speed is almost unheard of in the theater world. So the time we spend with him is full of these pinch-me moments, like backstage in the green room, when he first sees the Broadway playbill, the program for his show.

HARRIS: This all feels really wild. Oh, here we go.

SHAPIRO: He opens it up to one of the first pages.

HARRIS: A poet friend of mine named Morgan Parker wrote this really beautiful note on the play called A Note On Your Discomfort¹⁹.

SHAPIRO: Can you give us like a sentence or two of it?

HARRIS: (Reading) A Note On Your Discomfort - this might hurt. This could prod²⁰ open regrets and secrets, and what you find could be shock. But there's nothing in "Slave Play" that you don't already know.

SHAPIRO: Harris is bracing²¹ himself for how people might express that discomfort, hurt and shock. When "Slave Play" was produced off-Broadway last year, protesters started a campaign with the hashtag #shutdownslaveplay.

HARRIS: There's so much, like, potential controversy²² around whatever is happening, especially in the digital sphere and not like just The New York Times sphere of it all.

SHAPIRO: Right.

HARRIS: It means a lot when people co-sign the play.

SHAPIRO: What I'm hearing is that you're a little bit nervous, not about whether it will be positively²³ reviewed by theater reviewers, but about how it will be received by the people who you're trying to speak to.

HARRIS: Oh, 100%. But I've told everyone at every meeting we've had. And it's really difficult to keep this ball in the air because I think that the space just generally isn't made for it. But like if the play isn't a hit with black people and young people, then the play's not a hit.

SHAPIRO: We run into one of those young black people at the box office in front of the theater. Tyler Grigsby (ph) recognizes Harris the playwright.

HARRIS: Hi.

TYLER GRIGSBY: Hi. Can I get a selfie or are you busy?

HARRIS: Yeah, of course. We can do a selfie.

GRIGSBY: Congratulations.

HARRIS: Thank you.

SHAPIRO: Are you just picking up your ticket to the play?

GRIGSBY: Yeah.

SHAPIRO: When are you going to see it?

GRIGSBY: First preview, tonight.

SHAPIRO: Can I just ask why you think the play is important, what impact the play, do you think, will have on Broadway?

GRIGSBY: Yeah. So I haven't - I missed it at the New York Theatre Workshop. But I just think anything that, like, explores the spectrum²⁴ of blackness is important because it's not a monolith. And I think any of our narratives²⁵ need to be seen on this stage.

SHAPIRO: There are a lot of black narratives on the stage that are not as risky²⁶ as this one.

GRIGSBY: Yeah. Yeah. There's a lot of safe stuff on Broadway, but that bores me. So I want to be excited. He's my contemporary. I want to support people that are writing for me and writing stuff that excites me.

HARRIS: I feel like I paid you to come and say this.

SHAPIRO: Well, I hope you enjoy the show.

GRIGSBY: Thank you.

HARRIS: I'll see you later.

GRIGSBY: Happy opening.

SHAPIRO: Hours later, after three acts without an intermission - laughs, gasps²⁷, tears and a standing ovation²⁸, it's time for the after party.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SHAPIRO: Actors and producers mingle²⁹ with models and writers. Unlike a lot of Broadway plays today, this cast of eight does not include a single big star. Some of the cast members have been working on the project since its first reading at the Yale Drama School, like this actress.

IRENE SOFIA LUCIO: Irene Sofia Lucio, and I play Patricia.

SHAPIRO: I ask Lucio why she thinks Harris is having so much success right now. What is it about his voice and message?

LUCIO: I think that we're all into safe spaces right now, but we might need more brave spaces where people speak their truth. And we start to lean in and listen to things that make us uncomfortable instead of walking away from each other.

SHAPIRO: That's an interesting distinction. Explain what you mean by brave spaces as opposed to safe spaces.

LUCIO: Safe spaces tend to really worry about when somebody is in discomfort. We need to nurture³⁰ them and make them feel like they're safe and they're OK. And in a brave space, when you feel discomfort, you're supposed to sit with it and acknowledge that that's part of the process towards growth.

SHAPIRO: It's not only the theater world that's excited about Harris. He's a consultant³¹ on the hit HBO show "Euphoria," and he's writing a film with the Oscar-winning producer Bruce Cohen, who's also at the after-party.

BRUCE COHEN: It's because of the time that we're in right now and what this play is about is why it happened so fast.

SHAPIRO: What do you mean when you say that?

COHEN: The play is exploring so many things that are on people's minds right now in this really complicated, difficult time. A lot of it's about race but not just about race, about gender³², about identity, about expression, about how people connect and interact or aren't allowed to.

SHAPIRO: The next morning, I catch up with Jeremy O. Harris at his hotel room. Before the interview, he needs two things - coffee and the song that he's woken up to everyday for the last few weeks. He pulls up "Due West" by Kelsey Lu.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DUE WEST")

KELSEY LU: (Singing) My mind put you onto a throne.

SHAPIRO: I ask how he's feeling now that the first Broadway performance of "Slave Play" in front of a paying audience is behind him. He's not basking³³ in his success. He says, everyone was great. I have notes.

HARRIS: You know, we've got to tinker.

SHAPIRO: One of the people who works on the show who I was talking to about it was like, the company has always not really believed that this was actually going to open on Broadway, that, like, at the last minute, they would pull the plug.

HARRIS: Yes.

SHAPIRO: But now the audience is here. So even if they turn off the power, we'll all just like turn on flashlights and do the show anyway.

HARRIS: Yes.

SHAPIRO: Did you have that same feeling?

HARRIS: Oh, yes. I mean, even last night, I was like, well, I literally don't know if we're going to stay open the rest of the week. So I will call you. I'll celebrate week one when it's over.

SHAPIRO: Because it's such a challenging play or why? Like, what's the fear?

HARRIS: I mean, I think that, like - I mean, I think also when someone tells you something enough, it can start to be real. Something people told me a lot is that, like, this play doesn't make sense on Broadway.

SHAPIRO: We'll soon find out whether the play makes financial sense on Broadway. "Slave Play's" official opening night is October 6. But in the first week of paid previews, the show played to a crowd that was 99% full, including plenty of celebrities³⁴ and a woman Harris describes as his idol³⁵, the patron saint of the play. On Saturday, Rihanna came to see the show.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WORK")

RIHANNA: (Singing) Work, work, work, work, work, work. You see me, I be work, work, work, work, work, work. You see me do me dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt. There's something 'bout⁵ that work, work, work, work, work, work. When you a gon' learn, learn, learn, learn, learn, learn. Me na care if me tired, tired, tired, tired, tired, tired.

1 crammed   

adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式)

参考例句：

• He crammed eight people into his car. 他往他的车里硬塞进八个人。
• All the shelves were crammed with books. 所有的架子上都堆满了书。

2 dodging   

n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避

参考例句：

• He ran across the road, dodging the traffic. 他躲开来往的车辆跑过马路。
• I crossed the highway, dodging the traffic. 我避开车流穿过了公路。 来自辞典例句

3 playwright   

n.剧作家，编写剧本的人

参考例句：

• Gwyn Thomas was a famous playwright.格温·托马斯是著名的剧作家。
• The playwright was slaughtered by the press.这位剧作家受到新闻界的无情批判。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 bout   

n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛

参考例句：

• I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。
• That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。

6 explicit   

adj.详述的，明确的；坦率的；显然的

参考例句：

• She was quite explicit about why she left.她对自己离去的原因直言不讳。
• He avoids the explicit answer to us.他避免给我们明确的回答。

7 trajectory   

n.弹道，轨道

参考例句：

• It is not difficult to sketch the subsequent trajectory.很容易描绘出它们最终的轨迹。
• The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.抛物体所循的路径称为它的轨道。

8 rehearsal   

n.排练，排演；练习

参考例句：

• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
• You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。

9 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

10 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

11 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。

12 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

13 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

14 taboo   

n.禁忌，禁止接近，禁止使用；adj.禁忌的；v.禁忌，禁制，禁止

参考例句：

• The rude words are taboo in ordinary conversation.这些粗野的字眼在日常谈话中是禁忌的。
• Is there a taboo against sex before marriage in your society?在你们的社会里，婚前的性行为犯禁吗？

15 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

16 phantom   

n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的

参考例句：

• I found myself staring at her as if she were a phantom.我发现自己瞪大眼睛看着她，好像她是一个幽灵。
• He is only a phantom of a king.他只是有名无实的国王。

17 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

18 lyric   

n.抒情诗，歌词；adj.抒情的

参考例句：

• This is a good example of Shelley's lyric poetry.这首诗是雪莱抒情诗的范例。
• His earlier work announced a lyric talent of the first order.他的早期作品显露了一流的抒情才华。

19 discomfort   

n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便

参考例句：

• One has to bear a little discomfort while travelling.旅行中总要忍受一点不便。
• She turned red with discomfort when the teacher spoke.老师讲话时她不好意思地红着脸。

20 prod   

vt.戳，刺；刺激，激励

参考例句：

• The crisis will prod them to act.那个危机将刺激他们行动。
• I shall have to prod him to pay me what he owes.我将不得不催促他把欠我的钱还给我。

21 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

22 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

23 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

24 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

25 narratives   

记叙文( narrative的名词复数 )； 故事； 叙述； 叙述部分

参考例句：

• Marriage, which has been the bourne of so many narratives, is still a great beginning. 结婚一向是许多小说的终点，然而也是一个伟大的开始。
• This is one of the narratives that children are fond of. 这是孩子们喜欢的故事之一。

26 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

27 gasps   

v.喘气( gasp的第三人称单数 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• He leant against the railing, his breath coming in short gasps. 他倚着栏杆，急促地喘气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• My breaths were coming in gasps. 我急促地喘起气来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 ovation   

n.欢呼，热烈欢迎，热烈鼓掌

参考例句：

• The hero received a great ovation from the crowd. 那位英雄受到人群的热烈欢迎。
• The show won a standing ovation. 这场演出赢得全场起立鼓掌。

29 mingle   

vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往

参考例句：

• If we mingle with the crowd,we should not be noticed.如果我们混在人群中，就不会被注意到。
• Oil will not mingle with water.油和水不相融。

30 nurture   

n.养育，照顾，教育；滋养，营养品；vt.养育，给与营养物，教养，扶持

参考例句：

• The tree grows well in his nurture.在他的培育下这棵树长得很好。
• The two sisters had received very different nurture.这俩个姊妹接受过极不同的教育。

31 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

32 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

33 basking   

v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的现在分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽

参考例句：

• We sat basking in the warm sunshine. 我们坐着享受温暖的阳光。
• A colony of seals lay basking in the sun. 一群海豹躺着晒太阳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

34 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

35 idol   

n.偶像，红人，宠儿

参考例句：

• As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子，他是父母的宠儿。
• Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。