You know you’re in for a treat when Noma Dumezweni is in the cast list.
We know her in New York for playing Hermione in the original cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (which earned her an Olivier Award and a Tony nomination), but her resume is prolific even without it, dotted with the likes of Shakespeare and Hansberry and Hnath on stage, and screen gigs in Only Murders in the Building, Pose, The Undoing, The Watcher, Presumed Innocent, Doctor Who, the list goes on and on.
This summer, she’s back stateside in Duke and Roya, Charles Randolph Wright’s new drama at the Lucille Lortel Theatre about a hip-hop star who finds unexpected love in Kabul with his translator. She took on the play because of its “beautiful possibility,” all of which is coming true as she sees coming true in the West Village.
What drew you to Duke and Roya? It was Charles Randolph-Wright, the writer. We’ve been friends for a while and I wanted to support what I deemed as the beautiful possibility of this play. The connection of cultures not previously seen on any stage that I’m aware of. Playing Jay Ellis’s ma was a pull, as I’m, a girl mum. Also, alongside Dariush Kashani, us as elders being parents and humans was a joy. Then getting to watch gorgeous Stephanie Nur’s growth in her stage debut alongside her curiosity and depth. I was very happy to be part of Warren Adams’s company.
How do you like performing on stage in New York City versus London? It’s a totally different experience, which I’ve found fascinating and frustrating. Truly different cultures. The best of the UK is working through to the opening night making radical changes right up to the wire during previews. I love that and its the deep focus. That can, at times, carry on into the last performance. Here, you can feel time running out and ideas being set aside because the show has to be frozen/sealed for the press. And the irony is I love the New York City press coming across a week. In London, they all come on the same night. The contradictions are fascinating.
Also, it has been a joy to see the city’s representation walking into this off-Broadway production. Truly, truly diverse!
How different does it feel to work off-Broadway in the West Village?
It reminds me of how I started off in small fringe theatres and pubs in London. I love the true feel of “ok kids, let’s put on a show!” The dressing rooms are unglamorous, backstage space minimum around the set. That’s been a joy to experience again. It’s a real acting troupe.
Which do you prefer more, stage or screen? The experience I choose is where I’m at. I love the theater. The idea of never doing it again is actually terrifying/heartbreaking. Something would be very sad if I couldn’t balance tv with theater. TV still feels relatively new to me; it’s been a quarter of my stage experience. What they both have in common for me is the question of who’s playing. Am I going to be in the company of creative curious problem solvers? It’s that that I chase/choose.
How did you get started acting? Thank goodness for youth theatre in a small town I grew up in, an area known as Suffolk. Academia never loved me, and I reciprocated. I auditioned for drama school two years in a row and didn’t get in. Finding this Sunday afternoon workshop space once a week in the summer months was a joy. I was deeply sad at the time, and now I wouldn’t change my history.
It makes sense I did it this route, and I had the privilege of meeting my (still) mentor of over 30 years, Tony Singleton. He showed me to engage and be fearless with Shakespearean work, and how to take creative chances where you can to keep the character alive and true for yourself. He always spoke of a legendary London director, Joan Littlewood, who would tell actors to come in from different directions and surprise their fellow actors, if scenes where starting to get stale. God, I wish I had been part of that. I still ask Tony’s thoughts about every project I do, and at 88 years old, I value his opinions deeply!
What would you tell your 20 year old self?
Your body knows what is the truth. Your head will get in the way as you listen to too many people. Trust that inside voice you can’t explain. It will lead you to your loved life experiences.
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Off-Broadway
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