After ‘Moonlight’
TARELL ALVIN MCCRANEY TAKES ON BOTH BROADWAY AND THE OPRAH CHANNEL
“I’M INTERESTED IN INVESTIGATING QUESTIONS AND THIS PLAY STILL LEAVES YOU WITH A WHOLE LOT OF QUESTIONS.”
Ireflection time,” says McCraney in a phone cont’s been extraordinary versation from Georgia times for Tarell Alvin where the final episodes of McCraney. the series was being filmed. After “Moonlight” won “I literally left ‘Choir Boy’ the 2017 best picture Oscar yesterday and came here and another for his semitoday and fly back tom orauto biographical screenrow to‘ Choir Boy’ tom orplay( with director Barry row .” And this fall he was Jenkins), McCraney became also overseeing his classes head of the playwriting in New Haven, too, which program at the Yale School he’ll continue next semester of Drama in New Haven, as well. where he had been a stu“But television is not a dent just 10 years earlier. different animal, just a
McCraney, who is also a larger, more complicated MacArthur “genius” grant one,” he says. “Like theater, recipient and Windhamthere’s a lot of collaboration Campbell Prize winner, happening between me and also wrote a screenplay for the actors, the other writSteven Soderbergh, “High ers, the producers and the Flying Bird.” The dark editors and a lot of respect comedy about basketball to the work and art. The players during a lock-out difference is in the timetawas just purchased by bles and the way they have Netflix. to turn around [the shows].
Earlier this year he also It’s more like the difference flew to Paris to join Peter between the feral bobcat Brook — one of McCraney’s and the lion.” mentors — in the develIt’s a medium he hopes opment of the legendary to continue writing in, he director’s latest project, says. “You get to under“The Prisoner,” which stand different muscles in eventually traveled to the yourself and in the work. Yale Repertory Theatre in It’s thrilling to be able to do November before moving both.” onto New York. Working on Broadway
In December, McCraney, for the first time hasn’t 38, made his Broadway changed his process either, Sardi’s,” he laughs. debut as a playwright with he says. He still wants to Are the stakes higher for his play with music, “Choir write work that is complex, him on Broadway? Boy,” which was a hit when nuanced and challenging. “Yes, but not because of it played off-Broadway “I know a lot of artists Broadway,” he says. several years ago. really want to create things “Whenever you see a de
And this coming sumthat answers questions but piction of black gay queer mer the series he created that has never been my people, it’s an important for Oprah Winfrey, “David style or something I’ve ever thing and it’s gotten inMakes Man,” will be been interested in. I’m creasingly so. Once people launched on her network, interested in investigating saw ‘Moonlight,’ some OWN. The series, like questions and this play still people felt, ‘OK, we did “Moonlight,” is a lyrical leaves you with a whole lot that so we’re good for the drama set in the Miami of questions.” next 20 years.’ I feel the projects and is a coming-ofPerhaps because of his opposite. I want to see as age story centering in a busy schedule, he says he many versions of that as African-American 14-yearstill feels like a bit of the possible and that we conold prodigy. The series also outsider to Broadway. tinue to engage people in features Phylicia Rashad. “I think I was in [Broadtelling these stories and not
What does he make of way hang-out] Joe Allen’s let this moment pass us by .” his first foray in tote levi-one time because I met sion? friends there and I don’t As for the rest of 2019,
“I haven’t had much think I’ve ever been to McCraney will demonstrate his acting chops when he stars in a new work he created with director Tina Landau: “Ms. Blakk For President.” The work is inspired by the true story of America’s first black drag queen presidential candidate and set in 1992 with the AIDS crisis at its height.” The play will premiere in May at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre where McCraney is an ensemble member.
Is returning to acting difficult, or is it just like riding a bicycle, easy as soon as you start again?
“No,” he laughs. “Riding a bicycle is easy. But acting is a tricky thing and doing it for eight shows a week is a different animal altogether.”
Does he feel that the success of “Moonlight” helped other independent, personal films such as this season’s black-and-white art film, “Roma?”
“I think there always has been incredible work out there and I think people are invigorated by the idea of doing that intimate work that has incredible depth. But contrary to public belief there are people who do not like ‘Moonlight,’ who do not like what it stood for and do not like how it came on the scene. We would be foolish to think those people are not out there championing and campaigning for something like what they had before. So what’s really important is for us to keep supporting work like ‘Roma.’ ”
When asked about the impact of winning the Os- car, he is quick to point out the realities of the business.
“There are people who think I’m a millionaire because I had this film and Oscar and nothing could be further from the truth,” he says. “Barry and I and the other people who helped create ‘Moonlight’ did not sit around thinking, wanting, positioning it for the road it went on. We put a lot of love and sacrifice in it because we cared about the subject and the people involved. There’s a lot of film, television and theater productions that get made that way and we’ve got to be diligent about supporting that work and not just waiting for one to break through and become a ‘Moonlight’ in order to make it worthy.”