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James Earl Hardy’s ‘B-Boy Blues’ film shines

By CYRIL JOSH BARKER

Amsterdam News Staff

Author James Earl Hardy debuted his bestselling novel “B-Boy Blues” in 1993. Nearly 30 years later, his dream of bringing the Black gay literary masterpeice to the big screen is now a reality.

“B-Boy Blues” is an urban love story set in the backdrop of New York City about young Black journalist Mitchell Crawford and street lion bike messenger Raheim Rivers who, despite coming from different worlds, fall in love. Crawford is attracted to Rivers’ “thug” personality as the novel explores their friendships, families, tragedies and triumphs.

The book has been considered a must-read for decades about the Black same-gender loving experience often ignored by the mainstream. Fans have praised the novel for providing an inside look at Black gay urban life which many refuse to acknowledge even exsist.

In a recent interview with the AmNews, Hardy said he’s feeling better than “jood” (a term coined in the novel by character Rahiem). A former journalist himself, Hardy’s background includes degrees from St. John’s University and Columbia University and a celebrated career in media that started as an AmNews freelancer in the mid-1980s.

“In the summer of 1993 I started working at Newsweek as a research fellow,” he said. “One of my tasks was to read books sent to the staff editor and if something caught my eye, they might do a review. After a couple of weeks of zipping through those books, I was really depressed because I wasn’t coming across anything that reminded me of me or the world that I lived in. If you want to see something on a bookshelf that reminds you of yourself and the brothers you know, you’re gonna have to write it yourself. Three or four months later, ‘B-Boy Blues’ was born.”

The independent film adaptation of “B-Boy Blues” premiered at the American Black Film Festival in 2021 and stars Timothy Richardson as Mitchell and Thomas Mackie as Rahiem. The film also stars Grammy-winning singer Ledisi, who plays Mitchell’s mother and NAACP Image Award nominee Brandee Evans. The film was directed by Jussie Smollet, former star of the Fox primetime drama “Empire.” “B-Boy Blues” is currently streaming on BET+ in celebration of Pride Month.

“The story is an extension of the world I lived in at the time,” Hardy said. “It wasn’t the story that I went through but I grew up with many ‘Rahiems.’ The corner boys, the block boys and all of them were not heterosexual. That’s where my journalistic background came in handy. Not only listening to people but absorbing what they say. I was able to transfer that to my work as a novelist with the characters.”

Prior to the film’s creation, “B-Boy Blues” has been a live-action stage play since 2013. The play is wrapping up a monthlong run at Theater Row in Midtown. While waiting for the film to become a reality, Hardy decided to take the initial step and turn the beloved book into a play.

Hardy said he prayed ‘“B-Boy Blues” would serve a deeper purpose beyond the characters and the story but as an outlet to tell the experience of so many Black same gender-loving people. Over the years Hardy initially received countless hand-written letters by mail from fans and today gets numerous messages via social media and email.

“When I wrote it I wanted to see something on a bookshelf but just judging from the many conversations I had with brothers at the time, many of us did, too. And some of us just didn’t want it, we needed it,” Hardy said. “It actually saved some of our lives. I never get tired of hearing that even today.”

Getting “B-Boy Blues” to the big screen began with Smollet coming to Hardy years prior with the idea of producing it. Fast forward to 2020, Smollett wanted to not only produce but also direct the film. Initial shooting began in October 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was actually a little scary because there was so much unknown,” Hardy said. “You’re filming with a crew so there’s always going to be more than a few people in the same space. We definitely had to be very careful about how many people were in the space and that folks were always wearing masks and following protocols. Everyone was very attentive when it came to that.”

Since the film’s release, Hardy said he’s received positive feedback. Hardy has also authored several other novels in the “B-Boy Blues” series. He hopes the film will spawn a sequel or a possible streaming or television series. While Hardy said the “B-Boy Blues” film “happened when it was supposed to,” the film’s Pride Month offering on BET+ is giving viewers the option of seeing a story that so many live that would have otherwise been silenced.

“Pride is freedom for me,” he said. “The freedom to breathe, to bloom, to be. The root of Pride was a rebellion, demanding that we have the inalienable right to own and not just occupy spaces in the world. Keep taking up that space and live your truth.”

James Earl Hardy (It’s All Jood, Inc. photo)

A solemn moment with Raheim (Thomas Mackie) and Mitchell (Timothy Richardson) in “B-Boy Blues” (@artbyalyx photo)

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

The Drama Desk Awards, which recognizes both Broadway and OffBroadway excellence, held its 66th annual Drama Desk Awards, in-person, at Sardi’s, and it was fabulous. Black winners abounded and it was rewarding to witness. Drama Desk has always been an inclusive organization and that tradition continues. The event, hosted by Renee Elise Goldsberry, held a sense of theatrical community and love in the intimate setting at Sardi’s.

Anyone who had the privilege to see Ruben Santiago-Hudson in his autobiographical play “Lackawanna Blues” was as thrilled as I was to see him win outstanding actor in a play. His play has so much humanity, and he shared, “I just wanted to say thank you to Nanny and all the women of color who are the foundation of our communities and never get acknowledged. I don’t want everybody to forget her and I wanted to remind people of that person in their lives, because everybody’s got somebody that just gives everything they have and asks for nothing in return. We seemed to have forgotten, in the darkest times that I saw with this crazy president that we had and people just hating, I said let me show some love and the people needed it. I offered this play to say, people, let’s come together, let’s help each other.”

Phylicia Rashad received the award for outstanding actress in a play for “Skeleton Crew” and it was very much deserved. Her lovely daughter Condola was on hand to accept this honor for her mother.

Jaquel Spivey won outstanding actor in a musical for “A Strange Loop.” Appreciative of this honor, he said, “I have to thank my creator and God. I have to thank Michael R. Jackson for changing my life.”

Joaquina Kalukango won outstanding actress in a Musical for “Paradise Square.” An emotional Kalukango said, “For as long as I can remember I loved to tell stories. This was my first time leading a musical and I was terrified.” She thanked her amazing cast, her 5-year-old son and the audiences.

Veteran actor Ron Cephas Jones won outstanding featured actor in a play for “Clyde’s.”

Outstanding adaptation was won by Jocelyn Bioh, for the Public Theater Delacorte production of “Merry Wives.” Reflecting on how she was able to create the hilarious new approach to Shakespeare’s play, Bioh said, “It was with the collaboration of Saheem [the director]. He’s one of the most brilliant directors of Shakespeare and he was able to guide me through the process of what this play is and we were able to pull everything out. I wanted to make it fresh and fun. I wanted them to feel they had experienced the joy.” Talking about the process, Bioh shared that you usually have 18 months, “I had eight weeks to write ‘Merry Wives’ so that was incredibly terrifying. I had to just dive in. I’m glad it came to me at a time in my career that I wasn’t afraid to do it. After working on ‘School Girls’ and in TV where you have to turn things around quickly, it got me ready. My goal is to center our people in my work, especially Black women,” Bioh added.

The award for outstanding choreography went to the team of “Paradise Square”—Bill T. Jones, Garrett Coleman, Jason Oremus, Gelan Lambert and Chloe Davis. On hand to accept were Coleman, Lambert and Davis. “We’re adamant about honoring our ancestors, echoing the movements and sounds of our people. Sharing the truths and vulnerability, sharing the truths of living. We dance because we celebrate our greatness and inspire others to celebrate their greatness as well,” said Davis.

Jason Michael Webb was on hand to accept the award for outstanding orchestration for “MJ,” which he won with David Holcenberg. Webb was happy to comment, “Getting this award is such an encouragement and so necessary after being in a lockdown for a few years, just to celebrate each other is awesome.” Doing the orchestration, Webb said, “It was very high stakes, especially for me being such a Michael Jackson fan. It was making sure that we were taking awesome care of that legacy. I know the joy and healing I received from Michael’s music growing up. I would love for future generations to be able to experience that joy and healing, so it wasn’t difficult to do this work, it just meant so much.

“People who come to that show have a reconnection to their joy and it’s beautiful,” he said.

Outstanding music in a play was given posthumously to Bill Sims Jr. for “Lackawanna Blues,” and Santiago-Hudson was touching and giving as he shared how supportive Sims was of the show going to Broadway.

The late Alice Childress was presented with the Harold S. Prince Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in the theater. I personally had the honor of presenting this award. This season she had “Trouble in Mind” on Broadway and “Wedding Band: A Love Story in Black and White” in Brooklyn.

The production of “SIX” received a special Ensemble Award and that original cast of six divas includes three African Americans—Adrianna Hicks, Brittney Mack and Anna Uzele, along with Andrea Macasaet, Abby Mueller and Samantha Pauly. Mack, who plays the role of Queen Anne of Cleaves, was the first to sit down and talk about this honor. The cast shares this strong bond on stage; talking about that Mack said, “We started this process in 2019 at Chicago’s Shakespeare Theater. I said I would love it if we could agree to see each other as human beings first and then women and then women of different backgrounds, colors, age, but then artists and then these characters that we’re about to play. From then on the Band-Aid ripped off and we said let’s just start here…Whatever mood you’re in, we will respect it…That’s where the bonding first started.” Talking about being one of the first musicals back on Broadway she said, “It was an honor and a privilege because so many shows didn’t come back. It was a blessing to have the type of story we’re telling, because it is the one that puts it all in your face. Our show is about comparison—who has had the most

trauma.” Talking about there being three Black Queens, Mack said, “Yes, it’s important.” Hicks, Catherine of Aragon remarked about how she rejuvenates after every show. “It’s important to rejuvenate by connecting with the things you are excited about outside of theater. Going home, cooking a good meal and just watching Netflix or the simple mundane things of life. That helps you to have the stamina.” Uzele talking about being in “SIX” and her experience said, “The show taught me how to trust my own body and have confidence in my own body. I was raised in an evangelical world where I was taught your body was sinful… There’s a point when I’m on the stage alone and I didn’t think I could handle it. I used to cry my eyes out. This show allowed me to embrace myself, you have to love your whole body. This show helped me step into a new chapter of womanhood.”

Director Saheem Ali presented the Special Award to Costume Designer Dede Ayite, whose work was recently seen at the Delacorte Theatre production of “Merry Wives,” on Broadway in “Chicken and Biscuits,” “Slave Play,” “American Buffalo,” and “How I Learned To Drive.” Speaking of Ayite he shared, “My friend is one of the most sought-after costume designers in our field. She works on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off OffBroadway, she works regionally in Opera houses large and small. Dede will go where the work calls her. She cares about the work and the collaborators. She engages in the finer detail of any play, she leans on the dramaturgy, the backstory, she’ll ask questions about the script for me to ask the playwright…In ‘American Buffalo’ every cut and every color tells you something about the character before they have uttered a word. Her work is always meticulous.” Ayite humbly shared that she’s been a costume designer for 14 years. To build her confidence she said, “As an artist it’s a daily question of why and what moves me and of access and when I first started the window of access to work felt very small. I just wanted the opportunity to create art and I didn’t know if I would have that opportunity. Sitting here today and looking back it was one small opportunity that led to another and allowed me to build up and it’s quite overwhelming to look through the years and see how I was able to build. To be able to do this for a living is extraordinary.” Ayite shared that in her acceptance speech she broke down and cried because, “It’s a lot. There are so many emotions that I feel. I feel extremely grateful. I’m able to have conversations with such high esteem people who are the best in their craft. To be a costume designer and have the support to do what I want to do is a gift, a true blessing from above.”

It is wonderful to see how inclusive theater was this season, with the productions by and featuring African Americans. Go out and see a play today. Theater is back, make sure to give it your support!

The cast of SIX received an Ensemble Award. (Linda Armstrong photos) Linda Armstrong and Ruben Santiago-Hudson, winner of outstanding actor in a play for “Lackawanna Blues”

Jason Michael Webb won for orchestration for “MJ.”

A statue of Lorraine Hansberry, created by sculptor Alison Saar, was unveiled in Duffy Square earlier this month. The unveiling ceremony featured a performance from Tony Award-winner LaChanze, remarks from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage; other writers, composers and lyricists were also honored. Hansberry’s grand-niece Taye Hansberry also spoke at the unveiling.

Playwright Lynn Nottage with the newly unveiled statue by sculptor Alison Saar LaChanze

Lorraine Hansberry’s grand-niece Taye Hansberry

(Bill Moore photos)

Nat’l Jazz Museum holds summer celebration

The National Jazz Museum in Harlem recently celebrated Juneteenth and Black Music Month at The Jackie Robinson Bandshell in Harlem. Featured performers included Sekou McMiller dancers, the Afro Cuban band Los Hacheros, and the phenomenal Wunmi with her band.