SPOILERS
I got the opportunity to see the Broadway play, Passover, through my school. I expected it to involve Judaism more, however It was riveting, spine-chilling, and topical. The curtains open to a city street, a simple street light, and some trash that the main characters call home. The two men, Moses and Kitch begin to pass time discussing their biggest dreams: Sports cars. A girlfriend. Delicious food. One can imagine how bored they are as they seem to have been homeless for years. At one point Moses wishes for world peace, but he is quick to joke it off. This shows the audience how far-fetched Moses believes world peace to be.
As the story continues on they are approached by a strange man, who is noticeably white. They wonder if he’s a cop. At first they fear him. They cannot believe their eyes. They are left to question, ‘How has a quintessential white man stumbled upon this part of town?’. The white man notices that they’re startled, he offers a solution. That solution being, “call the poli-”, reminding us that the police is not the answer for all people. In fact, the police can be more dangerous than helpful to those who lack whiteness.
The white man explains himself, letting the men know he does not want to cause them any harm. He tells Moses and Kitch that he got lost on the way to his sick mother’s house. He holds his picnic basket close to his stomach. This story sounds quite unbelievable, almost as if this were a “Little Red Riding Hood'' situation. The white man even offers them a delectable meal, which they gladly take after asking many questions. The man is awkward in addressing the differences between him and the other men. It’s almost as if he is scared to say the word ‘black’. Soon it is revealed the white man's name is, “Mister” (Mass-ter). The two are taken aback by this. A name which resembles the upholders of slavery, something they are clearly familiar with. Despite being starving, they shun the man. Mister tries to reason with them, explaining he’d never say the ‘n word’. Mister says his mother taught him to never say the word and he wags his finger mimicking his mother’s words. They test how true this is. The audience gasps uncomfortably when they hear Mister exclaim the word in its entirety. At one point Mister asks why can’t he say ‘the n word’, after all it is only a word. I’ve heard this from more white people than I can count. This word roots back to the epitome of slavery and discrimination, therefore it only makes sense to allow only black people to say it. And I think this show does a great job of going into depth on said topic.
In the middle of the show Moses preaches biblical metaphors, being one of the only things he has to rely on for hope. He says that one day this brutality will all be over and it will part like the Red Sea.
Throughout the show the black men display fright when they constantly come into close calls with the police. For a moment time stops. You can feel the beating of their hearts. The light shines in front of them. You can hear their quick gasps for air. Their hands shoot up in the air. Together the acting, lighting, and sound design do a fantastic job in expressing the fright POC feel when cops are nearby, knowing they could breathe their last breath at any time.
Later in the show a cop saunters out from the ominous dark ether. Even as an audience member I jolted with anxiety. I could hear distant sirens, first confused as if they were coming from inside the theatre or outside. It is almost ironic. As I watched I truly worried for these characters. The same actor who plays Mister also portrays the cop. I find this to be a symbol to show all white people can transform into racist people; all white people contribute to racism. I noticed that Mister/the police are understudied by a woman. I think it would be really interesting to see all the characters in this show from the female perspective.
Kitch and Moses hopelessly wanting to die. They create a plan to assist each other in committing suicide. Moses waits for his turn, begging Kitch to kill him. Yet he doesn’t seem upset, he almost seems happy. He longs for death, so he does not have to endure the depression that prejudice and hate bring him. After the deed is done, Moses is sprawled out on the stage. Suddenly the cop emerges again, he is quick to run after Kitch. The cop arrests both of them, calls them the word, and begins beating on both of them. But what he does not realize is that Moses is already dead. The cop scolds the men for their “black-on-black violence”, though the audience knows that this was not a violent act. It was an act of disparity. This proves that many black-on-black crimes can stem from white aggravations. I am currently watching the show, “The Wonder Years” (2021) and one part specifically reminded me of this issue. In the first episode Dean is bullied for acting “too white”. This is a struggle for many black people. They are forced to find the perfect middle, acting just ‘white enough’ to fit in society, but ‘black enough’ to fit into their own culture. This contributes to the fact that black-on-black violence can start from the expectations of white people because Dean would never have been beaten by his peers if he did not try so hard to uphold the standards of white people.
Soon enough Kitch cries out for his best friend as he is hurt. The scene quickly changes. The lights are bright and for the first time the audience can see what has been behind them all along, a forest. Moses begins to rise up. Moses commands the police officer to stop and he does. The cop tries to move, but he is unable. The cop begins hitting himself, putting his own gun up to his head as blood pours over him. The cop is able to understand the fear just both Kitch and Moses felt. He screams, but no one is there to save him.
We are left with the officer striping down nude, leaving everything he came with behind him. He is no longer a cop. He no longer is more powerful than the others. He is just purely human, wandering off into the jungle. Moses does the same, inciting black people cannot be truly free until reaching heaven. This also relates back to Moses’s earlier statement on world peace.
One can tell its directed by Spike Lee with its metaphors and deep emotion. I have not seen many plays, however this play was beautifully written and staged. I want to commend each actor in this show for their talent. Despite this play taking place in a boring cityscape, it was far from uninteresting. I beg anyone who can to go out and support this play as it helps black writers and allows others to learn more about police brutality and its effects on the black community. I believe this show deserves to win a Tony for its writing and lighting design. This show will be relevant until people of color gain the human rights they deserve and until police brutality ceases. Even afterwards, though far away, this show will be relevant in teaching others what the black community had to endure. It may be impossible, but I will never stop working for a day where everyone can be truly equal.
Here you can watch the preview to the show. The pro-shot is on Amazon Prime Video, however there is an alternate ending, which I will not spoil for you:
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