Come see ‘The Nigger Lovers’

THE_NI¿¿ER_LOVERS_graphic, Come see 'The Nigger Lovers’, Culture Currents Local News & Views News & Views
The Theatrical Production ofNigger Lovers’ comes to the Magic Theater in SF until May 21.

by JR Valrey, The Minister of Information 

The theatrical production of ‘Nigger Lovers’ comes to the Magic Theater in SF through May 21

“The Nigger Lovers,” a play written by Marc Anthony Thompson, is running at the Magic Theater in San Francisco now until May 21. The play is controlled, polarizing, theatrical chaos based on historical happenings, with a little comedy and a lot of drama mixed in. 

Every theatrical production is unique, but “Nigger Lovers” is distinct in a very genre-bending way. For those versed in Black culture in the U.S., “Nigger Lovers” the play is Basquiat mixed with Nzosake Shange mixed with Me’shell Ndegeocello. 

It is one of those plays where you have to sit with some of the themes for days, to examine where you stand. I recommend this play to people that are into different abstract forms of Black art, because Marc Anthony Thompson’s eccentric pen game is an acquired taste, but one that will be talked about for decades to come. Check out Marc Anthony Thompson as he speaks for himself.

JR Valrey: When did you write “Nigger Lovers”? What prompted you to write such a socially provocative play?

Marc Anthony Thompson: I don’t remember what time of year it was but I started the play around 2015 and was in the final throes of the process at the end of last year while in residence at Yaddo, a retreat for artists in Saratoga, New York. In my world and at the time, it didn’t seem that provocative. I tend to think of it as evocative. 

JR Valrey: What was going on in society and in your life when you wrote “Nigger Lovers”? 

Marc Anthony Thompson: Though it’s nearly impossible to grasp when I think back on it – I started the first pages of this piece almost a decade ago. Since then, we’ve seen a reemergence in the normalization and visibility of White Supremacists on a global level (there is profit to be found in saying the quiet part out loud nowadays); the nation’s president has faded from Black to orange to translucent; a global pandemic had us on lockdown; and I moved from the idyllic Hudson Valley to the pale faced Marin County. Driving across this country is a stark reminder that New York and California are different at the core, but similar in their insular nature.

 JR Valrey: What was your writing process like when you were writing this play?

Marc Anthony Thompson: There was no process. I did a very limited amount of research at the start and then ramped it up after I had sketched out the template. At the time, I was doing construction jobs and living in a town that would see heavy snowfall. There was a lot of red wine at the start of the process and then by the end I think I switched to coffee. 

Playwright-Marc-Anthony-Thompsons, Come see 'The Nigger Lovers’, Culture Currents Local News & Views News & Views
Playwright Marc Anthony Thompson’s play, “The Nigger Lovers” is running at the Magic Theater in San Francisco until May 21.

JR Valrey: What made you give this production the name “Nigger Lovers”? In the context of the play what does this title mean?

Marc Anthony Thompson: I want people to come and see the play with as little knowledge of its intention and directives as possible. So, I’d say for one to come and find out what we’re up to without me filling in blanks about context or intention. Hopefully the title is provocative enough to pique one’s interest without frightening one away. And of course – I knew it would look good on a marquee.  

JR Valrey: Do you laugh at the fact that a lot of whites and Black people who don’t come from the lower classes have a problem saying the title? What are your thoughts when you see people having trouble?

Marc Anthony Thompson: From where I sit – everybody that has to bend their neck to look up at a cloud is in the Lower Classes. I laugh easily. Maybe, unconsciously – that was part of choosing the title, to make you uncomfortable before you even enter the theater. I heard a recording left at the theater by a white dude asking how to use the title and another one where a woman that I’m 99.9% sure was white seemed to relish the opportunity to use the word.  

JR Valrey: Can you tell our readers what the play is about?

Marc Anthony Thompson: Nah. All I can say is come see it and find out. And if you can’t afford it, let us know and we’ll work it out. 

JR Valrey: I saw the play opening night and it utilizes drama, comedy and it is a musical. What made you write something that was so genre-bending?

Marc Anthony Thompson: Genre bending should be part of any school’s curriculum. Though, honestly, the play is just a combination of things that I love – comedy, graphic imagery, immersive sound environments, great singing and deep grooves. The drama is baked into the actual history of the time period that we bust open. As far out as we pushed the farcical element – any work that revolves around antebellum times carries its own odious gravitas. You can have that for free. Odious Gravitas. Go start a Black punk band. 

JR Valrey: Why was it important for you to bring the “Nigger Lovers” production to San Francisco?

Marc Anthony Thompson: It was more than important to bring the work here – it was vital.  There would be no play without the gentle constant guidance of my comrade Sean San Jose of Campo Santo. He is the “overseer” at the Magic Theater and invited me to develop the work there. We got some support from the Gerbode Foundation and the rest is – as they say – the future. 

JR Valrey: Are you currently working on anything else in terms of theater?

Marc Anthony Thompson: Roger Guenveur Smith and I will continue touring a piece called Otto Frank – written by and starring Mr. Smith. I am actively pursuing more ways that we can spread my play – as we approach the rest of America, we’re toying with the idea of calling it “The Negro Admirers.”

JR Valrey: At opening night, I saw one of my favorite actresses, your daughter Tessa Thompson, what does it mean for you to be a father and get a chance to see your daughter rise to stardom and even more importantly appear in a classic political movie, like Boots Riley’s “Sorry to Bother You”?

Photo_-Playwright-Marc-Anthony-Thompson-and-actress-Tessa-Thompson, Come see 'The Nigger Lovers’, Culture Currents Local News & Views News & Views
Playwright Marc Anthony Thompson was photographed with his daughter, the “Sorry to Bother You” actress Tessa Thompson at the opening night party at the Magic Theater in San Francisco, after his new play, “The Nigger Lovers.” “Nigger Lovers” runs until May 21st.

Marc Anthony Thompson: She’s my favorite actress. She was essential in helping me during the writing process –  from its inception to completion. She is still giving me notes. Funny you’d mention Boots – she and Boots were at last Sunday’s matinee. When you’re Black and pick up a pen, paintbrush or a camera – everything you do is political. I could not be prouder of her or love her more – but I’ll die trying. 

JR Valrey, journalist, author, filmmaker and founder of Black New World Media. He is also the editor in chief of the San Francisco Bay View Newspaper. He teaches the Community Journalism class twice a week at the San Francisco Bay View Newspaper office.