LaVar Hosting Jeopardy July 26-30 Stan Account 👁

Nobody appreciates King Hedley II enough (in large part bc Stokes was totally miscast in the original bway production, probably thanks to Wilson’s fetishization of black masculinity), but truly truly truly I am convinced it is his greatest play.

*Wilson’s fetishization of a certain kind of black masculinity.

Stokes had the right *look* for King, but there’s no violence in his spirit. Stokes’ truth as an actor is a fundamental magnanimity, which fits August’s heroes, but his magananimity expresses itself as generosity, as giving a gift, which is why his Impossible Dream is Beyond.

Also why he was a great Don Pedro, etc. By contrast, Wilson’s black male heroes are almost always “great spirits in chains.” In almost all of his plays, he is asking some variation of the central question of Fences, which is, “what happens to a big man in a small house?”

His heroes are generally (forgive the astrological metaphors) in a spiritual state of retrograde Jupiter. Their magnanimity, shut up like a fire in their bones, becomes backwards, introverted, forced to express itself through uncomfortable, unnatural avenues: violence, domination

Stokes is far too open and generous for that. BUT he looks every inch the Black King. Which like... fine. Also now that I think about it I wonder if anyone has done work on Wilson’s relationship (if any) to The Empreror Jones by O’Neill.

And like I’m sure Stokes Did His Work as an actor and turned in a perfectly capable performance... but I just can’t imagine how the dialogue between that actor and that character set.