[Peace-discuss] my Theater Review: “The Meeting: Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” by Jeff Stetson

[Karen Medina]

*Theater Review: “The Meeting: Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” by
Jeff Stetson*



This past week I had the privilege to attend a stage play, “The Meeting:
Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” in the theater at Champaign
Centennial High School.



The Meeting is a fictional “what if” Malcolm X and MLK met in secret? What
would they talk about, argue about, agree upon; would they trust each
other, would they bring gifts, would they respect each other for the gifts
each gives to the world, would they talk about their death threats, their
dreams, their hopes, their fears for humanity, and their personal issues?



This play takes place more on Malcolm X’s turf than MLK’s; it takes place
in Harlem. The timing is interesting too. It is the week between Malcolm
X’s house being firebombed (while he and his family are inside) and Malcolm
X’s assassination. The premise is that Malcolm X has invited MLK. The
invitation is accepted. MLK comes all the way to New York just to see
Malcolm X.  The theme song for the play is “You Don’t Know What Love Is” by
Don Raye and Gene DePaul.



There are only three actors in the play. All the actors are amazing perhaps
even perfect for their rolls.



The play opens with a mixed soliloquy. Malcolm X, spotlighted stage left,
is interviewed by a disembodied reporter. After each answer by Malcolm,
Martin spotlighted stage right comments as if he too is being interviewed
but the questions are unspoken.



Robbins, who plays Malcolm X, delivers the calm, intelligent, reasons for
African Americans to defend themselves. King’s lines are less to any
particular point but are delivered by Dozier quite well in the calm,
intelligent, story-telling manner of King.



Malcolm X also speaks of his eye-opening experience in Mecca – the lines
are delivered with a truly compassionate wistfulness – as if describing a
completely different world than that which exists in the United States.



The soliloquies end. The conversations begin. Malcolm X and his personal
body guard, Rashad, are waiting for Martin Luther King’s arrival. Again, it
is Malcolm’s turf and he gets to make his thoughts very explicit. Rashad,
played by McLendon, is amazing – as amazing as the other two. Malcolm
awakes from having drifted off on the couch. He has had a bad dream. He
speaks of his dreams, of the firebombed house, of the threats against his
life. Both X and Rashad express passion for the movement.



Included throughout is an underlying theme, “What is love?” Love in all its
meanings. At one point, Malcolm asks Rashad, “The first time you made love,
do you remember why?” Rashad answers, “Mostly because she said yes we
could.” Malcolm breaks off the conversation to call his wife to check on
the family and to promise that he will spend more time with them as soon as
this speaking engagement is over. “Whoa, don’t get too excited, we have
enough kids already.” Malcolm and Betty had 6 daughters.



King finally arrives. Rashad does not trust King and tries to frisk him for
a weapon. MALCOLM shoos Rashad away, confident that King would not be there
to kill.



The battle of words, wits, philosophies, and dreams finally begins.
Punctuated by three arm wrestling events. The first discussion is about
formal education vs. self-education.



Both men are patient and carefully watching the longer threads of the
conversation. Much of the play’s lines are for Malcolm. It is almost as if
Malcolm is arguing with himself -- the man before the Hajj, and the man
moved by what he experienced in Mecca. At times it seems that Martin Luther
King is just there to witness the inner conflict. But upon close
inspection, King, himself, is also experiencing that same inner conflict
throughout the play, just with fewer lines.



At one point, Malcolm says, “You have sit-ins so that we can shop there. I
want us to OWN the stores.” Much later, King almost whispers as he is
leaving (and I am paraphrasing here), “Sit-ins are not just for shopping
rights. We will own the stores. And we will write the laws.”



Which brings us to the paper bag that King brought with him. Malcolm opens
it. Inside is a doll, an obviously much-loved doll. It is a gift from
King’s oldest child Yolanda to Malcolm’s oldest daughter Attallah. King
says that when Yolanda saw the photo of Attallah outside their bombed home
she immediately asked King to take her favorite doll to Attallah.



Mostly, this stage play is an opportunity for Malcolm X to explain himself
almost entirely, from his street life to the letter X; from his
self-education and dislike of institutional honors to his brilliant mind,
from his dreams to his nightmares, from his knowledge that power concedes
nothing to his compassion for the oppressed.



All three of the actors are amazing. The play is very worth seeing. And
discussing.



The most brilliant part of this play at this time in this town is that the
Department of African Studies has promised to do one presentation on campus
a second in the community – an absolutely brilliant idea. Too bad the
discussion afterwards did not show any clue of the local current events.
The Black Lives Matter demonstration at Centennial High School touched the
lives right there in that room.



Malcolm X’s contributions are rarely taught in schools. My school history
books ignored Malcolm X. As an anti-war activist I strongly believe that to
understand even Martin Luther King we need to also learn about Malcolm
X.  Malcolm
X is rarely brought to life so well as in this play.

---

Stage play: “The Meeting: Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” was
written by Jeff Stetson, presented by the Department of African American
Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in cooperation with The
Kennie Playhouse Theater, Nashville, Tennesee.

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