Rashid Johnson's "Dutchman" Returns to New York's Russian & Turkish Baths
A test of (dis)comfort for audiences and actors alike.
Summary
- Acclaimed artist Rashid Johnson is bringing his adaptation of Amiri Baraka’s “Dutchman” (1964) back for a limited run of performances
- The performance’s themes of race, violence and assimilation are heightened by its unusually immersive choice of venue
Rashid Johnson‘s “Dutchman” is making a highly-anticipated return to the Russian & Turkish Baths for a five-night run, starting September 24. Debuted 2013, the seminal Performa-commissioned performance marked the artist’s directorial debut, setting him on a path beyond visual art. Over a decade later, he revisits Amiri Baraka’s 1964, Obie-winning portrait of race and sexuality with renewed urgency.
Baraka premiered his “Dutchman” in at the storied Cherry Lane Theatre in 1964, with its 2007 revival catching the attention of one Johnson. The one-act play follows a flirtatious exchange-turned stormy confrontation between Lula, a prodding white woman, and Clay, a budding Black intellectual, all unfolding in the sweltering heat of a New York City subway car. What begins as erotic banter spirals into an unforgiving examination of civil rights-era politics, power, assimilation and violence.
The upcoming showcase stars Tori Ernst reprising her role as Lula, alongside Jerrod Hayes as Clay. By adapting the play to the bathhouse’s sweaty, dank contours, Johnson drops viewers straight into the kind of heat, steam and claustrophobia that carries the performance. “People are disrobed, people are exposed to a degree they never are in public,” Johnson told The New York Times in 2013. “It’s a place for really honest negotiations. I think of it as a very even playing field.”
Johnson’s bathhouse-as-stage makes for an unforgettably fit choice for Baraka’s incendiary study of race in close quarters, with his audience just as implicated as his actors. “People expect theater and art to be inherently generous,” Johnson expressed. “I want to see something that pushes people up against their limits. The heat is an enormous factor in that. The level of comfort and discomfort is very important to me.”
Rashid Johnson’s “Dutchman” will be on view in New York from September 24 through 28. Head to the show’s website to secure you tickets.
