Harlem Duet
| Harlem Duet | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Djanet Sears |
| Characters | Billie Mona Othello Magi (The Landlady) Amah (Billie's sister-in-law) Canada (Billie's father) |
| Date premiered | 1997 |
| Place premiered | Nightwood Theatre in Toronto |
| Original language | English |
| Setting | Harlem (1928) Harlem (Present) Harlem (1860) |
Harlem Duet is a 1997 dramatic play by Canadian playwright Djanet Sears. Billie, a young graduate student in Harlem, deals with her husband Othello leaving her for a white woman named Mona. The play moves through time to show Billie and Othello's relationship (or an analogue thereof) being torn apart by racial tensions in Harlem in 1860, 1928, and the present. Though the characters draw inspiration from Shakespeare's play Othello, Billie and the story are original creations.
Sears received the Governor General's Award for Best New Play and the Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award for Harlem Duet.
Harlem, 1928. Billie and Othello discuss his infidelity with an unnamed white woman.
Harlem, Present. Billie lives in a walkup at the intersection of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Boulevard in Harlem, NY. She is emotionally and intellectually broken, as her husband Othello has left her for a white colleague named Mona. Billie is supported by her landlady and by Amah, Othello's sister, while she writes and lives as a shut-in.
Harlem, 1860. Othello, here a slave and blacksmith, woos Billie by gifting her his mother's handkerchief.
Harlem, Present. Billie is experimenting with chemical tonics and warns Amah that they are deadly if ingested. She ignores the ringing phone, believing it to be Othello - Amah suggests it may be Billie's estranged father, Canada. Othello finally arrives with Mona (who is never seen on stage) to retrieve his things. He and Billie begin to divide their books and dive into a conversation on race relations and how cultural pressures impacted their marriage. Eventually, Othello kisses Billie and they make love. Afterwards, he brushes her off and lies to Mona in front of her.
Harlem, 1860. Othello tells Billie that he will not flee to Canada with her because he has fallen in love with his white mistress, 'Miss Dessy'.
Harlem, Present. Billie prepares to move out of the apartment she shared with Othello. He returns with her pot, and with news: he is reneging on his promise to pay for one of her graduate school courses, and he and Mona are engaged. He attempts to defend himself by saying that being with white women is easier.
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