Slave Play on Broadway Tickets

By: Jeremy O. Harris
Director: Robert O’Hara
Producer: Greg Nobile and Jana Shea of Seaview Productions, Troy Carter, Level Forward, and Nine Stories
Cast list: Ato Blankson-Wood (as Gary), Devin Kawaoka (as Dustin), Jonathan Chad Higginbotham (as Phillip), Antoinette Crowe-Legacy (as Kaneisha), Chalia La Tour (as Teá), Irene Sofia Lucio (as Patricia), Annie McNamara (as Alana), Paul Alexander Nolan (as Jim)
Design: Clint Ramos
Lighting: Jiyoun Chang
Costume: Dede Ayite
Sound: Lindsay Jones
Other info: Movement by
By: ron Easley, Dramaturgy by Amauta Marston-Firmino, and Intimacy & Fight Direction by Claire Warden

Fresh off of graduation from the Yale School of Drama, Jeremy O. Harris makes his Broadway debut with “Slave Play,” a piece that could very minimally be described as provocative. Directed by Robert O’Hara, the play premiered at New York Theatre Workshop last fall and catapulted Harris to toast of the town status before he had even finished school. The drama plays the Golden Theatre with the near-entire Off-Broadway cast intact, including Paul Alexander Nolan, Juaqina Kalukango, and others.

“Slave Play” sits at the unusual precipice where antebellum meets erotica meets the Old South — or does it? Set on the MacGregor Plantation, the play will safely take you one way before rocking your world and taking you another. If that sounds vague, it is, because it is impossible to talk about this unprecedented piece without spoilers. Instead, just know that it blends potent commentary on race and sexuality with satire and some mind-bending thrills.

17+ Children under the age of 4 are not permitted in the theatre.

What to watch for

Believe it or not, “Slave Play” was actually one of two plays that playwright Jeremy O. Harris had produced in New York last year — before he had graduated from the Yale School of Drama. Additionally, his play “Daddy” was staged at the Vineyard Theatre and starred Alan Cumming in a limited engagement.

“Slave Play” was the first Off-Broadway play to ever use an intimacy director. Furthermore, Claire Warden, who carried out those duties, won a Drama Desk Award for choreography in recognition for her work on the production.

There is a twist at the heart of “Slave Play” that is so sizable you should not read the end of this sentence if you prefer to go into shows blind. Truly, though, if you don’t want to be spoiled, steer clear of reviews for this one until after you’ve seen it, as many do not provide overt “do not read beyond this point” warnings.

The Harris takeover does not stop with “Slave Play.” He’ll be produced again this season Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons, with “A Boy’s Company Presents: ‘Tell Me If I’m Hurting You.’” Directed by Dustin Wills, it begins performances May 15, 2020.