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

Tue Mar 3 19:27:04 EST 2015

Thanks Karen. A book that is under-appreciated in this regard is by the theologian James Cone:http://www.amazon.com/Martin-Malcolm-America-Dream-Nightmare/dp/0883448246 

     On Tuesday, March 3, 2015 5:21 PM, Karen Medina via Peace-discuss <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net> wrote:

 Theater Review: “TheMeeting: Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” by Jeff Stetson This past week I had the privilege to attend a stage play, “TheMeeting: Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” in the theater at ChampaignCentennial High School.  The Meeting is a fictional “what if” Malcolm X and MLK metin secret? What would they talk about, argue about, agree upon; would theytrust each other, would they bring gifts, would they respect each other for thegifts each gives to the world, would they talk about their death threats, theirdreams, 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 betweenMalcolm X’s house being firebombed (while he and his family are inside) and MalcolmX’s assassination. The premise is that Malcolm X has invited MLK. Theinvitation is accepted. MLK comes all the way to New York just to see MalcolmX.  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 areamazing 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 eachanswer by Malcolm, Martin spotlighted stage right comments as if he too isbeing interviewed but the questions are unspoken.  Robbins, who plays Malcolm X, delivers the calm,intelligent, reasons for African Americans to defend themselves. King’s linesare less to any particular point but are delivered by Dozier quite well in thecalm, intelligent, story-telling manner of King.  Malcolm X also speaks of his eye-opening experience in Mecca – thelines are delivered with a truly compassionate wistfulness – as if describing acompletely different world than that which exists in the United States. The soliloquies end. The conversations begin. Malcolm X and hispersonal 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. Malcolmawakes from having drifted off on the couch. He has had a bad dream. He speaksof his dreams, of the firebombed house, of the threats against his life. Both Xand 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 timeyou made love, do you remember why?” Rashad answers, “Mostly because she saidyes we could.” Malcolm breaks off the conversation to call his wife to check onthe family and to promise that he will spend more time with them as soon asthis speaking engagement is over. “Whoa, don’t get too excited, we have enoughkids already.” Malcolm and Betty had 6 daughters.   King finally arrives. Rashad does not trust King and triesto frisk him for a weapon. MALCOLM shoos Rashad away, confident that King wouldnot be there to kill. The battle of words, wits, philosophies, and dreams finallybegins. Punctuated by three arm wrestling events. The first discussion is aboutformal education vs. self-education.  Both men are patient and carefully watching the longerthreads of the conversation. Much of the play’s lines are for Malcolm. It isalmost as if Malcolm is arguing with himself -- the man before the Hajj, andthe man moved by what he experienced in Mecca. At times it seems that MartinLuther King is just there to witness the inner conflict. But upon closeinspection, King, himself, is also experiencing that same inner conflictthroughout the play, just with fewer lines.  At one point, Malcolm says, “You have sit-ins so that we canshop there. I want us to OWN the stores.” Much later, King almost whispers ashe is leaving (and I am paraphrasing here), “Sit-ins are not just for shoppingrights. 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 giftfrom King’s oldest child Yolanda to Malcolm’s oldest daughter Attallah. Kingsays that when Yolanda saw the photo of Attallah outside their bombed home sheimmediately asked King to take her favorite doll to Attallah. Mostly, this stage play is an opportunity for Malcolm X toexplain himself almost entirely, from his street life to the letter X; from hisself-education and dislike of institutional honors to his brilliant mind, fromhis dreams to his nightmares, from his knowledge that power concedes nothing tohis compassion for the oppressed.  All three of the actors are amazing. The play is very worthseeing. And discussing.  The most brilliant part of this play at this time in thistown is that the Department of African Studies has promised to do onepresentation on campus a second in the community – an absolutely brilliantidea. Too bad the discussion afterwards did not show any clue of the localcurrent events. The Black Lives Matter demonstration at Centennial High Schooltouched the lives right there in that room.  Malcolm X’s contributions are rarely taught in schools. Myschool history books ignored Malcolm X. As an anti-war activist I stronglybelieve that to understand even Martin Luther King we need to also learn aboutMalcolm X.  Malcolm X is rarelybrought to life so well as in this play. ---Stage play: “The Meeting: Malcolm X and Dr. Martin LutherKing Jr.” was written by Jeff Stetson, presented by the Department of AfricanAmerican Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in cooperation withThe Kennie Playhouse Theater, Nashville, Tennesee. ###
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