Black and White freeFall’s Latest Play Looks at an Unlikely Friendship

By David Warner

Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass were buddies? Who knew?

Probably lots of folks, particularly suffrage historians. But the 45year friendship between these iconic 19th-century activists — a white Quaker and a former slave, each of whom fought to abolish slavery and win voting rights — was news to me. That’s why freeFall’s production The Agitators is so engrossing.

The Source

According to playbill note from director Kristin Clippard, Smart drew from “letters, speeches and other sources” to create the decades-long dialogue. The seams sometimes show; there are moments when Anthony and Douglass seem to be speechifying rather than talking to one another, and there’s a certain degree of overly dutiful exposition.

The Actors

It’s to freeFall’s (and Smart’s) credit that we ultimately get to know these two giants of equality as people, not just as figureheads. Actors Jennifer Christa Palmer and L. James establish a warm rapport. That’s evident in moments when Susan and Frederick simply hang out — sharing a bucket of warm water to soothe her tired feet and his injured wrist, lying on the floor during a White House visit to espy a ceiling detail, attending a baseball game in which Douglass’s son is playing.

Even in their friendliest moments, the gulf between them remains vast. At the baseball game, for instance, he gets up to leave after noticing that a white man is staring threateningly at them.

When Susan protests about being left alone, he answers, “Your skin will keep you safe.” When a conversation turns to birthdays, he reminds her that while she easily can name her own birthdate, he cannot: “Slavery stole the first 20 years of my life.”

The History

That these two titans could reach across the racial divide and make change happen is a tribute to their mutual respect. But it was not easy; political realities often put them at odds. When Douglass fought for passage of the 15th Amendment granting Black men the right to vote, he refused Anthony’s pleas to include women’s suffrage in his campaign. He feared it would alienate the white male electorate. When he asked to speak at a women’s suffrage event in Atlanta, she asked him not to come, fearing that a Black speaker would not help her cause in a white Southern environment.

These colliding priorities resurface throughout, to the point where you may sympathize with Douglass when he observes the two friends keep having “the same fight, over and over.” One might wish for more sense of how these two activists, well, agitated. Palmer convincingly captures Anthony’s indefatigable energy and fierce dedication, at once sprightly and severe. James, however — though an arresting stage presence, with a deep voice and a riveting gaze — seemed during Saturday evening’s performance to still be finding his comfort zone with some of Douglass’ rhetorical flourishes.

The production values, as is usually the case with freeFall, are impeccable. The period-specific set by Hansen Scenic works both as interior and exterior; Dalton Hamilton, beautifully lights it, with illuminating video by Eric Davis cleverly integrated. David Covach and Loryn Pretorius impressively detail, respectively, costume and wig design.

The Verdict

As an introduction to two historical figures who might otherwise remain on lofty pedestals, The Agitators is a pleasure — and a reminder, as we continue to deal with battles for equal rights, of the roots of these struggles.

The Agitators freeFall Theatre, 6099 Central Ave., St. Pete. Through Feb. 26: Wed., Fri. & Sat., 7 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 2 p.m. $25-55. freefalltheatre.com; 727-498-5205.