Harlem Duet

These first five scenes deliver exposition and establish key character relationships. Not only are the women’s personalities clearly defined—Billie’s depressed state, Magi’s congeniality, and Amah’s devotion to both her family life and her desire for a career—but we also become privy to the reasons behind Billie’s mental decline. As Magi describes, Othello’s departure hit her hard: “Like a baseball bat hits a mango. Like he was trying for a home run or something. The bat breaks through the skin, smashing the amber flesh, propelling her core out of the park, into the clouds. And there she lays, floating” (30). Billie’s devastation drives the tragic action of the play, and this description of her emotional state serves as an inciting incident.

Scene 1 introduces motifs of superstition, alchemy, and a touch of sorcery, with Amah commenting on Billie’s “science lab” (25) in the living room, and Magi and Amah’s discussion about old superstitious ways to keep a man. The motif of dreams also appears in this scene, with Billie declaring, “If I could only stop dreaming, I might be able to get some rest” (29). While Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech is the iconic call for civil rights and racial equality, the sound of Malcolm X’s speech at the play’s onset reminds the audience that the activist once stated that King’s dream may become a nightmare. This movement from dream to nightmare is reflected in the play’s tragic plot, raising questions about Racial Equality and the American Dream.

Scene 2 introduces the third couple in the play, identified in the script as Him and Her. While they dream of escaping enslavement and traveling to Canada—a detail that calls forward in time to Billie’s father in the 1997 storyline, who escaped his family obligations by moving to Nova Scotia and is thus called by the nickname “Canada”—She speaks of the horrors to which Black people have been subjected for centuries, mentioning “Cleotis and Venus. Emmett” (34). This list of names illustrates The Continuity of Black History, which is in part a history of racist violence and objectification. Cleotis is an enslaved woman whose genitals were removed after her death and placed on display in a hardware store. “Venus” is a real historical figure. A member of South Africa’s Khoikhoi ethnic group, her real name was Sarah Baartman. Enslaved by Dutch colonists, she was forced to stand naked before paying audiences as an embodiment of racist stereotypes about the Black female body. “Emmett” presumably refers to Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black boy who was murdered in 1955 after being accused of offending a white woman. This last incident occurred nearly a century after the moment in which She is speaking, suggesting that within the world of the play, the continuity of Black history transcends the boundaries of linear time.

Again, the motif of the white handkerchief with strawberry details is present, making the connection to Desdemona’s handkerchief in Shakespeare’s play. When He echoes a line from this tragedy, “There’s magic in the web of it” (35), the allusion foreshadows the tragic end to His and Her story.

Scene 3 further emphasizes the continuity of Black history, opening with an early 20th-century speech from Marcus Garvey, mentioning Nelson Mandela’s 1990 visit to Harlem, and describing the celebration of Kwanzaa and the intricate process of hair care within the African American community. Meanwhile, Billie’s mental health continues to deteriorate. Pain and jealousy consume her—to the point she even considers pushing a couple she mistakes for Othello and his girlfriend off a subway platform, along with herself, to get revenge and end her misery: “The tunnel all three of us will fall into can be no worse than the one I’m trapped in now” (44). As she berates Othello’s choice of a white woman, Amah reminds Billie that color is only skin deep; however, Billie responds, “The skin holds everything in. It’s the largest organ in the human body. Slash the skin of my belly and my intestines fall out” (44). This signifies how critical the role of skin—and Black identity—is to Billie’s state of mind.

Scene 3 also introduces the character of Canada, Billie’s father, who is visiting from Nova Scotia. Both his name and his residence represent freedom. The name Canada ties in with the conversation He and She have in 1860, in Act I, Scene 2, about escaping to the North and starting a new, free life. Additionally, Amah refers to Nova Scotia’s role in the abolition movement: “I love that Nova Scotia was a haven for slaves way before the underground railroad” (45).

When Billie explains to Amah that the package she receives contains an Egyptian rejuvenation tonic, the statement is a subtle allusion to Othello, as the white handkerchief Othello gives to Desdemona was given to his mother by an Egyptian sibyl (an oracle or prophetess, this is also later revealed to be Billie’s birth name). The sibyl told her that she would always retain the love of her husband, Othello’s father, while in possession of it. Moreover, the provenance of the tonic (Egypt) is a reference to African identity. In Othello, this detail drove home Othello’s “otherness” as a Moor, whereas in Harlem Duet, it supports Billie’s strong connection to her African origins. Amah asks if Billie will share the tonic if it works, as living the good life is the best revenge. “I thought I was living that life,” Billie responds, only to have Amah answer, “Maybe you were just dreaming” (42). This interaction again develops the motif of dreams.

Finally, Amah’s request for ice indicates that she is still curious about Magi’s frozen fetus story from Scene 1. The possibility of a dead fetus in the freezer only makes Billie’s story of wanting to kill Othello, his girlfriend, and herself on the subway platform even more macabre. Both represent utter despair and a future devoid of hope and possibility. Moreover, the language with which Billie refers to the contents of the freezer reflects her state of mind: one that is frozen, that can’t move forward, and that should be discarded.

While the audience never sees her, Scene 4 introduces the character of Mona, Othello’s white girlfriend. She accompanies him to Billie’s apartment but leaves to shop for something blue, hinting at an upcoming wedding. The scene also characterizes Othello and Billie and explores possible reasons why their marriage did not survive. It lays the groundwork for their foundational differences in how they view the issue of racial inequality and, perhaps more importantly, what they believe is needed for real change. Othello supports assimilation and integration as taught by Martin Luther King Jr., while Malcolm X influences Billie’s position. She is angry and frustrated by the inequities her community experiences in all areas of life—education, economics, opportunity—and by feeling so marginalized, believes that the community must stand up for themselves. This is why she loves Harlem so much—it is a place where she feels a part of the landscape. To her, it represents home.

The fact that Billie’s husband has left her for a white woman has added to her feelings of marginalization, contributing to the play’s exploration of Intersections of Race and Gender. Her dream of a happy life with Othello is shattered, and just as she feels betrayed by her country, she feels betrayed by him: “I’m sorr […] am sorr […] had a dream. A dream that one day a Black man and a Black woman might fin […] here jumping a broom was a solemn eternal vow tha […] …Let’ […] an we just get this over with?” (56). Her mention of the African American wedding tradition of jumping the broom signifies that Othello has betrayed their culture as well by being involved with a white woman.

Scene 5 shows insights into Othello’s character, particularly his ability to become almost subservient when he feels it is required. Of course, much of his panic and deference stems from the fact that his current fiancée nearly caught him having sex with his ex-wife, but his quick change when he senses Mona’s annoyance with the situation is also representative of his demeanor with white people in general. He is on a life-long quest for their acceptance and full assimilation into their world, so if he fears he may have displeased them, his default mode is subservience.