Red Velvet

by Lolita Chakrabarti

Red Velvet is about the nineteenth century black American actor Ira Aldridge. In a theatre dressing room in Poland, an elderly and sick Aldridge prepares to play King Lear. The intrusion of a young female journalist forces him to look back on the defining moment of his illustrious career.

Thirty years previously, Edmund Kean, one of the greatest actors of his generation, collapses on the Theatre Royal stage in London, and Pierre Laporte, theatre manager and friend, asks Aldridge to replace him as Othello. At the same time Parliament is preparing to vote in favour of abolishing slavery in all British colonies. Opinions are fiercely divided. Aldridge performs successfully at the Theatre Royal but the reactions of the cast and critics are complex and divisive. He is not allowed to fulfil his engagement and the betrayal of a dear friend changes the course of his life. Red Velvet examines the world of the theatre, where comedy and tragedy are synonymous. The play discusses friendship, betrayal, the art of acting and prejudice.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama, Classics, Shakespeare, Historical Fiction, Fiction

88 pages, Paperback

First published March 19, 2014

Reviews

[Prospero · Rating 4 out of 5]

I attended a performance of this play over the weekend. Stirring, realistic. The story of a wildly successful actor whose career is forever haunted by memories of deeply-wounding personal betrayals.

It's hard to believe that someone like Ira Aldridge could have been forgotten by history, but alas. Now, thanks to this play, his career enjoys a second wind.

[Freddie Hudson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This play is like when you have a really interesting dream, but you're not able to write it down or actualise it in any meaningful way.

[Conor Tannam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed it but the play was short. Left me wanting more which is a testament to the strength of the writing.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

FEBRUARY

22. by Lolita Chakrabarti (no photo)

Finish date: 25 January 2022
Genre: Play
Rating: A++++
Review:

Bad news: Nothing to mention....

Good new The title kept ringing in my ear ...what is the link between "Red Velvet" and what I'm reading. It is what young Ira sees viewing plays from the high balcony of the Park Theatre in NYC...what we all see when visiting a great theatre...the red curtain! "...something about velvet, a deep promise of what's to come". Aldrige as a child was "...under a spell at the back of the gods (actors), a sea of red below filled with expectations of greatness."

Good news: Structure made the play easy to follow. I always put the scenes in order before I read a play...it helps me immerse myself into the world of the actors...giving me a hint where the play is going. Chakrabarti bookends the play: scene 1 with scene 7
It looks like too many characters..but in most scenes it is a group of actors discussing the play they are to perform, very readable.

Good news: In just a few short scenes ....Ms Chakarbarti conveys to the reader what it is like to be a black actor. What is it like to have your acting skills reduced to the color of your skin.

Good news: Message: politics in theatre...in spite of all the obstacles in 1833 London......talent will always shine through. Issue: a black actor touching, fighting and killing Desdemona in front of a shocked British public and the theatre board members.

Good news: The playwright is very subtle alluding to the new Salvery Abolition Act (1833). We sense the political unrest in London through the actor's dialogue.
Parliament was about to abolish slavery in most British colonies.
This mirrors the "unrest" on stage as well!

Personal: This was how a play should be written..from the inside. Lolita Chakabarti is a trained actress at Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) and knows what an actor and the audience need. This was a delight to read. If you look at the cover...it is Adrian Lester another RADA actor, he starred in the play and is ...Lolita Chakabarti's husband.

[skye ruby · Rating 1 out of 5]

not good. dare I say shit from a butt

[Carol Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent play. It tells the story of Ira Aldridge, a 19th century African American Shakespearean actor who faced formidable challenges.
Most of the play takes place in London and is based on actual events. Aldridge played Othello at Covent Garden--he was the first Black Othello-and although his performance was brilliant, the press panned the show and insulted him. The show was closed.
Aldridge later went on to act Shakespeare in many European countries.
This play focuses on the contention in the theater company over Aldridge's performing Othello.
It is a compelling play.

[Manon Scart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. It did take me a bit to get into it, enjoy the style and get involved in the story but when I did I couldn’t stop reading.

& the last page… 😦

[Aaron Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is good, but it feels incomplete. Part of the issue, I think, is that it really focuses on one of the hardest moments in Aldridge's story - one of the hardest moments for him professionally, I mean. So Red Velvet is a story of a losing battle; in this way the play feels like it lets Aldridge down a bit, not celebrating his extraordinary triumphs but instead clearly articulating (and giving lots of space to) the people whose racism he was forced to fight against.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4 - Saturday Drama:
Adrian Lester stars in a radio version of the Tricycle Theatre's award-winning production, directed by Indhu Rubasingham, about the first black actor of note to play Othello.

The Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, 1833. Edmund Kean, the greatest actor of his generation, has collapsed on stage whilst playing Othello. A young black American actor has been asked to take over the role. But as the public riot in the streets over the abolition of slavery, how will the cast, critics and audience react to the revolution taking place in the theatre?

Imagined experiences based on the true story of Ira Aldridge.

Lolita Chakrabarti won Most Promising Playwright at The Evening Standard Awards and the Critics' Circle Awards after the 2012 run of Red Velvet at The Tricycle. Adrian Lester's performance earned him the Best Actor Award at the Critics' Circle Awards.

Music by Paul Englishby

Directed by Indhu Rubasingham
Studio Production by Anne Bunting, Keith Graham and Mike Etherden
Produced by Abigail le Fleming

[Leylamaría · Rating 4 out of 5]

PIERRE: What made you enter the profession?

CHARLES: For G-d’s sake, this isn’t about me.

PIERRE: It’s about all of us. About survival. Progress. We are riding a dead horse. Can you not feel it? We sit through lifeless plays that say nothing about who we are. Theatre is a political act, a debate of our times. That is our responsibility, n’est ce pas? We have to confront life out there, on our stage, in here. Make it live.

—

[a tentative 4. Maybe more of a 3.5. Hm.]

[magpie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️
I had the great pleasure of speaking with a fabulous actor who played Ira in a production of Red Velvet. The conversation was very illuminating and further informed my reading. He had so much insight to offer.

This play does a fantastic job exploring the burden of being a trailblazer, dashing the romanticized ideas of being “the first”. You really don’t need to know anything about Othello or Shakespeare to enjoy this. I honestly didn't know who Ira Aldridge was before reading this, but I am fascinated and will definitely read up on him more. 

I especially liked the scene between Ira and Connie, and this idea of the “othered” finding a sort of kinship and innate understanding in the other’s experience that is at the same time different and identical. This is something that Shakespeare doesn’t really explore in his “othered” characters; they usually stand alone and the conversations of prejudice are made through their isolation. Red Velvet’s exploration of recognizing community and connection through being othered, especially the truth in the story, was really great.

Also, what this play had to say about artistic triumph and how theatre (and all art in general) is inherently political was so good. I could really feel the discomfort of the people around Ira and I don't think I've felt that sort of unspoken emotion in a play before, at least to this degree.

I only wish this would have been longer (not too much; I think the length is good and effective) so the historical backdrop of the abolition movement could have been explored/established more because Ira Aldridge routinely spoke on pro-abolition sentiments after shows while he was still donned in white face. It's after learning this facts about the real man I feel the play could have done so much more.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a new favorite! Beautiful text, structure, and stage directions; a new way of looking at race and "style" in the performing arts; speeches here akin to Hamlet's speech to the Players, instructions for actors and artists, directors and teachers; deeply moving and full of wisdom about audience and actors.

[Yourfiendmrjones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A breathtaking work of a story. I’m not sure how great or accomplished it is (it ends a little abruptly), but there are scenes and moments I don’t think I’ll ever forget. And all from an unjustly neglected footnote in theater history.

So good.

[Jemima · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent play telling the not-widely-known story of Ira Aldridge.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ira Aldridge is such an interesting person; Chakrabarti tells his story wonderfully.

[Isabella Griggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating to learn about the history of Black British Theatre through such a well written play! We've come a long way and have a ways to go still.

[Hannah Potantus · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was short and to the point. She conveys the emotions of every character efficiently and at the end my heart just dropped to my stomach.
Well done.

[Perline · Rating 4 out of 5]

le premier livre que j’ai lu en anglais et j’ai adoré! lu d’une traite

[mengwe · Rating 4 out of 5]

that was really well written, i had lots of « Mmm! » moments while reading

[Serg · Rating 4 out of 5]

great play.

[Troy Zaher · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This book/play was able to explore deep levels on both the surface and beneath it. Much like the actual Shakespeare’s work, the author here is able to weave some deep imagery into a tale that is otherwise historically factual.

The subtle allegorical nature to the plays of Othello and King Lear are an indication of this mastery of writing held by the author.




5/x book for Shakespeare and Race grad class.

[Ellie Calvert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very emotion and an interesting but at some moments felt very heavy handed in a way that didn’t trust the reader

[Kornelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great play! Love to see Ira Aldridge reimagined and adapted for the modern stage.

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a metatheatrical history play about the largely forgotten Ira Aldridge, an African American man who became an actors in the early-mid 1800s and performed in both New York and London to mixed reception before having an amazingly successful career performing throughout eastern Europe. Chakrabarti's play primarily focuses on two bookend moments of Aldridge's career: when he first appeared on the Covent Garden stage in the role of Othello following the collapse of Edmund Kean, and at the very end of Aldridge's life when he died on tour performing King Lear in Poland. The bulk of the play revolves around Aldridge's original appearance as Othello, which was met with resistance from the critics and some fellow actors, in part because of racism and in part because Aldridge embraced a more naturalistic, less stylized and melodramatic style of performance. The play explores issues of what it means to be an ethnic minority, how minorities are held to different standards in the theatre (as in so many other realms), the nature of performance, the relationship between art and life and politics, and much more.
https://youtu.be/g88JvVo68jw

[Roxana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I imagine this play was marvelous in performance, given the cast in its premiere, but as a script, it is unfortunately mundane, heavy-handed, and predictable. It feels like too conscientious an attempt to meld historical detail with Current Relevant Issues, and the flashback device which frames the narrative is a mundane cliche. Ira Aldridge's biography is a rich and fascinating topic, and the issues that naturally come up in Red Velvet are ripe for dramatization, but Lolita Chakrabarti's script doesn't do justice to either.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is distracting me. I understand what it means but I feel it hides the subject matter. I felt the play did a good job of portraying fictional snippets of Ira Aldridge’s life but there was something I felt was missing and that may be my own desire for this to still not be the case. Even as Othello is now only performed by African-heritage actors and women portray women, specific accuracies are a part of Shakespearean performance that can limit its audience and performers.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this play after seeing a production at Shakespeare and Company. This play explores a few contextualized moments in the life of Ira Aldridge, the first black man to play the role of Othello in London. The text holds up to a second exploration. It is very well-written. I appreciate the focus on theatre as a craft explored within the play as well as the topics of race, gender and passion.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting historical drama about the black American actor Ira Aldridge; reads well, but is probably even more powerful in performance. Wish I had seen Adrian Lester (a great actor I saw do Bobby in 'Company' back in 1986 in London) when he performed in it.

[Han Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as part of the #SIWReadathon

A really quick read - would love to see this performed. The parallels between Aldridge's life and Othello's are really interesting, if not a little obviously shown throughout the play, but overall I liked this a lot.

[Lucy Kassel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly confusing but probably not confusing once seen on a stage. Very interesting, loved the structure