Harlem Duet

Often called a prelude to Shakespeare’s Othello, Harlem Duet tells the story of Othello and his first wife, Billie—the woman he married before Desdemona. Their history is told through the lives of three couples, each named Othello and Billie, during eras of special significance in Black American history: 1860, before the Emancipation Proclamation; 1928, at the height of the historic Harlem Renaissance; and 1997, after the civil rights movement but before the 21st century.

Written by Canadian playwright Djanet Sears and published in 1997, the play was first produced at the Nightwood Theatre, Canada’s oldest professional feminist theater company. The inaugural production won four 1997 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, in addition to Canada’s prestigious Governor General’s Award and the Floyd S Chalmers Canadian Play Award. The playwright has described Harlem Duet as a “rhapsodic blues tragedy.” It explores themes like Racial Equality and the American Dream, The Continuity of Black History, and Intersections of Race and Gender.

Content Warning: This study guide and source text discuss slavery, racism, and sexual violence.

Plot Summary

The play begins in 1928 Harlem, where Billie and Othello, called He and She, are in a small dressing room.