Whenever Black-white conflicts become the contentious subject of a conversation, a friend of mine always takes the opportunity to say he’s amazed the situation hasn’t developed into far more serious violence.
Evidently, Playwright Ife Olujobi agrees. In Jordans she doesn’t back down from the possibilities. Announcing this is something of a spoiler, but there will be no further giveaways as to the nature and extent of any violence manifested. (UnkleDave’s Fight-House is among the Playbill credits.)
The point is that Olujobi’s concern about the never-ending and potentially unsolvable racial problem is awkwardly addressed throughout its two acts, obscuring the warning that is its commendable goal.
Jordans begins and mostly remains in designer Matt Saunders sleek version of Atlas Studios, a rental space conducive to any number of activities. The first use seen is a lively photography session featuring lithe models who know exactly what their Richard Avedon-like photographer wants.
Before strutting their stuff to establish the mood, Jordan (Naomi Lorrain), who’s Black — this is crucial — has opened up the studio. She does all the scut work around the place, moving furniture whenever furniture moving is required and swabbing floors if that’s the moment’s task.
Atlas is owned by dictatorial Hailey (Kate Walsh). She’s white, and this is crucial, too. Also white are her motley employees (Brontë England-Nelson, Brian Muller, Matthew Russell, Ryan Spahn, Meg Steedle, all of whom play other parts when necessary).
So, Jordan is the only Black on the trendy premises, and she’s regularly treated as if Hailey and white subordinates have missed the memo advising them that slaves have long since been emancipated.
Bossy boss Hailey initially demonstrates her dominance by committing a crude act that has audience members gasping. Hair-pulling follows more than once. The others, never looking directly at Jordan, regularly throw items her way for disposal — Styrofoam cups, for example.
Despite the undisputed office policy, Hailey starts the first staff meeting presented by announcing business must be better. Her solution, stressing cultural changes she’s observed around her, is to hire someone whom possible clients would recognize as Atlas’ being up to trendy date. Thus arrives 1. Jordan (Toby Onwumere), who’s Black, and whose surname is Savage. Yes, Olujobi pours it on. (Note: “1. Jordan” is how he’s identified in thew program. It’s not a typo.)
The resulting arrangement is that the whites are to a man and woman intolerant, and the Blacks, especially Jordan of the two Jordans (there’s the title) are intelligent, perceptive, wise to the prevailing attitude. They mostly remain so, 1. Jordan slowly feeling defeated by his eroding status, and Jordan becoming increasingly resentful of the racist environment. She bridles particularly when 1. Jordan allies himself with the whites rather than taking her side. She understandably resents this at the act-one close and she’s face down on the floor. The whites continuing to treat the Blacks as if they exist only to clean up and otherwise not to be seen, Olujobi loses her grip. Her adamant insistence that whites are ignorant, inevitably racist and that only Blacks are capable of humanity tries audience patience for good reason — likely Black audience members as well as white. The insistently one-sided circumstance weakens the playwright’s thesis.
Unfortunately, the method by which the message is transmitted muddies it. Perhaps the obviously talented playwright intends Jordans (Michael Jordan partly an inspiration) as satire throughout and should be understood as such. Perhaps Jordans is intended to be taken as obtaining its aim through tragicomic exaggeration. Perhaps the play is not to be experienced as literal. Too bad that none of the stretching for the work’s acceptance stands up.
But while the drama’s content unfortunately misses its vital mark, the presentation is strong, its pull-no-punches (literally) approach unflinchingly directed by Whitney White. The cast members are to be congratulated — Lorrain, Onwumere, Hailey in the forefront, the others doubling and tripling effectively.
In the end, life may come down to the obligation to be seen on not to be seen. That’s the question Olujobi raises, with “to be seen” the only correct answer, an answer still not widely observed in this wrestling-with-DEI-daily nation.
Jordans opened April 24, 2024, at the Public Theater and runs through May 12. Tickets and information: publictheater.org
