When Steppenwolf slated Vivian J.O. Barnes’ “Duchess! Duchess! Duchess!” for its virtual “Steppenwolf NOW” season, the theater had no idea an exiled Harry and Meghan were about to shoot an
Steppenwolf Theatre Company has released a streaming world premiere production of
Duchess! Duchess! Duchess!, written by Vivian J.O. Barnes and loosely inspired by the struggles of Meghan Markle and the British royal family.
Duchess! Duchess! Duchess! uses the monarchy to investigate how society s institutions of power affect Black women. Barnes s play is set on the eve of a royal wedding and imagines a meeting between a Duchess who has just given birth to an heir, and a Soon-to-Be-Duchess, whom she is coaching on the rules required to join the family.
The two-hander is directed by Weyni Mengesha and stars Chicago-based actors Sydney Charles and Celeste M. Cooper, who filmed the play in their separate homes, with cameras, computers, sets, props, and costumes shipped to them directly, with the footage then carefully edited together.
Last modified on Thu 11 Mar 2021 15.02 EST
It is tempting to assume that an American drama about black women caught in the cold, hard machinery of Britainâs monarchy is a direct response to Meghanâs revelations to Oprah Winfrey earlier this week.
But theatre cannot move quite this fast and even though Vivian JO Barnesâ two-hander was inspired by the duchesses of Sussex and Cambridge, she conceived it in 2018 and it was filmed by Steppenwolf theatre at the end of last year.
The marketing gods, however, could not have aligned the stars for a greater impact for the digital premiere of a play billed as âa darker version of what might have happened if Meghan Markle had stayedâ. That line gestures towards the surreal, satirical and incrementally creepy tone of this 35-minute dualogue.
NOW Magazine
Review: Duchess! Duchess! Duchess! takes the crown
Weyni Mengesha-directed work about two Black women in the Royal family couldn t be more timely By Glenn Sumi
Sydney Charles (left) and Celeste M. Cooper encounter institutionalized racism in Duchess! Duchess! Duchess!
DUCHESS! DUCHESS! DUCHESS! by Vivian J. O. Barnes, part of Steppenwolf NOW Virtual Stage. Runs to August 31. Virtual memberships $50-$75 (includes all six shows). steppenwolf.org/now. Rating:
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Timing is everything. And the timing of Vivian J.O. Barnes’s Duchess! Duchess! Duchess!, directed by Soulpepper’s artistic director, Weyni Mengesha for Steppenwolf, is so perfect you might find yourself mouthing an Oprah Winfrey-style “What?” during the opening scenes.