James Baldwin(One Man Play) performed in LA – September 4th, 2002

James Baldwin(Down from the Mountaintop)-"played by Tony Award Nominee Calvin Levels is an extraordinary One Man Play.

JAMES BALDWIN
DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAINTOP
A One-Man play about the life of James Baldwin

James Baldwin Down From the Mountaintop – written and performed by Calvin Levels and directed by David Moses. James Baldwin played by Tony Award nominee Calvin Levels. The Elephant Asylum Theater located at 6300 Santa Monica Blvd. Current show information available at www.jamesbaldwinplay.com

James Baldwin Down From the Mountaintop combines the past, present and what might have been the future of the American, sharp-witted writer, playwright, essayist and civil rights activist James Arthur Baldwin. From the minute the audience takes seat in the small but cozy Elephant Asylum Theater, you can feel the intensity of what message this play may have to teach you. The first act kicks off with Levels backstage prior to curtain call worried and pleading with himself (and his muse) for the power and accuracy to contact the spirit of James Baldwin by way of séance to portray him in true form. Thunder crashes, lights flicker and Levels invokes the spirit of James Baldwin, ready to “set the record straight.” As Baldwin, Levels takes you down a colorful pathway with dramatic and emotionally charged memories of his childhood growing up in Harlem, New York and what it was like for him, being the son of an abusive stepfather and overly loving mother. While smoking faux cigarettes on stage, Levels brings truth and honesty to many invigorating monologues, reflecting the abuse Baldwin was subjected to as a teenager along with his dealings in church, education and family.

Playful and intriguing, Levels’ casual use of stage space adds life to the storytelling mood. He recalls the end of a longtime friendship with Richard Wright, his journey to Paris and the hardship and publishing politics he endured with his first novel, Go Tell It On The Mountain. Baldwin also tells the tale of his experiences as a Black man with sex and love for and with other men and his ever so popular rivalries with Norman Mailer, Langston Hughes, Truman Capote and the fascinating, not so commonly known stories about his dealings with Actor Marlon Brando. During the later part of Baldwin’s life, Levels brings to surface the need to take part in the civil rights movement by actively speaking out against the desegregation of southern schools and solidifying his associations with Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and Robert F. Kennedy. This is where Baldwin “wakes up” on his purpose in writing, theatre and life education with recollections of strange fruit, red lights and the moody settings of the south.

By plays end, Baldwin has “cleared the air” and returns to where he came, leaving Levels to deal with the experiences he has just witnessed to take with him for a lifetime, cementing the final plea to “Let Greatness Through.”

Calvin Levels’ portrayal of James Baldwin is powerful, strong and witty. Throughout his performance you come to believe that Levels is Baldwin – effortlessly he becomes him. Director David Moses, a personal friend of Baldwin’s for twenty-five years, solidifies the most accurate depiction of this amazing retelling of Baldwin’s life before he died of cancer of the esophagus in 1987. My only wish would be to have James Baldwin Down From The Mountaintop return to the Los Angeles area for a longer run and to continue showcasing new and innovative theatre in the Southland.