A young African American actor stepped onto a London stage and changed the course of theatre in 1833. LSU’s Swine Palace’s production of “Red Velvet” brings his story to life, nearly two hundred years later.
“Red Velvet,” written by Lotita Chakrabarti and directed by GD Kimble, tells the true story of 19th-century Black actor Ira Aldridge. Aldridge went to Europe to find acting opportunities that did not exist for African Americans in the United States. He was casted as the titular character in Shakespere’s “Othello,” becoming the first Black person to ever do so.
However, the casting came as a shock to audiences during a time when slavery was still commonplace around the world. Despite receiving standing ovations for his performances as Othello, Aldridge faced openly racist reviews from many critics.
“A good question that is brought up in the play is ‘what do you do when you’re faced with adversity?’” Melina DeYoe-Pedraza, who plays Halina Wozniak, Betty Lovell and Margaret Aldridge said.
“Red Velvet” skillfully addresses this subject using irony and subtext, exposing the gap between what the characters say versus how they behave. While characters debate racial equality and insist they are progressive enough to accept Aldridge as Othello, their slave, played by Emmanuela Wade, silently waits on them.
Ricardo Mendoza believes his character, Henry Forester, is a prime example of this tension. While Forester sees himself as progressive-minded and declares that slavery should be abolished, his beliefs are tested when he meets Aldridge.
“This play is about people finding out who they really are,” Mendoza said.
These dynamics are further reinforced in the play’s staging. From intense sound design to sets that glide on wheels effortlessly, the tension and discomfort of the play’s themes lingers, even with the lights off. DeYoe-Pedraza believes that Aldridge’s story is important to keep alive due to its relevance today.
“The way Ira is treated isn’t unique to that time period,” DeYoe-Pedraza said. “It’s also very much present in the way we treat our artists of color in performance now.”
Craig Ester, who plays Aldridge himself, remains onstage for almost the entire two-hour runtime. Between scenes, the set transitions around him to mark the passage of time, with crew members even changing his costume in full view of the audience.
“The emotion that just happened in the previous scene either has to carry through to the next scene or I have to drop it,” Ester explained. “The challenge is keeping that up for the two hours that the show is.”
Playing Aldridge is more than just a role for Ester. He understands that Aldridge paved the way for countless other Black actors, but that this success came at a personal cost.
“If you break the glass ceiling, you have to be prepared to get cut,” Ester said. “Whenever you’re the first, you have to go through all the obstacles and things in order to make it easier and safer for others to go through the same thing.”
The final showings of “Red Velvet” are on Feb. 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. and on Feb. 16 at 2 p.m. Tickets can be bought here.
