Years ago, I read Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South. I went to a talk by E. Patrick Johnson regarding his work where he said he was looking into the making of a play utilizing the characters of the book. I don't usually read plays. I was unable to see the performance of the play, but I was curious to see how such a work would be adapted.
Johnson succeeds in bringing to life memorable characters from his work. Although the interviews have been abbreviated, one gets a true experience. Even more, the introduction of Johnson as a person transformed by his characters was so inventive. I was wondering how he could play all the characters during the performance, and although the notes explain how each character could be played by other actors, I would have so enjoyed seeing Johnson transform into these characters.

Much thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this electronic version.

Sweet Tea: A Play is the stage adaptation of E. Patrick Johnson's massive book, Sweet Tea. It's a chronicle of 12 southern, gay, black men of various ages and backgrounds. There is a big emphasis on God and the church and acceptance in this piece. Though it can be performed with multiple actors, Sweet Tea was really written to be performed by a single actor, transitioning in and out of characters with simple costume (and accessory) changes, that can be done quickly.

As a director, and someone that worked in the business for over 30 years, I found this piece interesting enough. I usually visualize staging while I'm reading as well. Sweet Tea didn't grab me the way I thought it would. Though it's informative for audience members totally isolated from gay and black cultures, it barely scratches the surface of the emotional and often tragic journey gay black men have suffered at the hands of an unenlightened society.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sweet Tea: A Play is the stage adaptation of Johnson's oral history of black gay men from America's South, which was originally performed as a one-man show by Johnson himself. The text tells stories from the lives of eleven men and one gender non-conforming person, with themes links together by a central authorial figure who is trying to tell his own story by hearing others' stories. The published edition goes into detail about character and staging and includes production photos, bringing to life these oral histories as much as possible.

The play is a powerful piece that combines the stories of those interviewed by Johnson with his own life in a skilful way, getting across not only complicated situations, but the complicated ways in which people tell their own stories, or need to hear about others' experiences to be able to formulate their own into words. In this way, as a play it enacts the very effect it could have on those watching or reading it, constantly reminding you of the importance of sharing diverse stories, not only in terms of marginalised groups, but in terms of diverse stories from within particular groups or intersections of identities. Even reading the text, it came alive with different voices, and the detailed staging notes made it easier to imagine how it would work, but the text does really make you want to experience the play in performance.

If you want a look into the lives of gay black men you will enjoy this book. It is written in play form. Prepare yourself for this. I loved the characters and the stories they told. You can tell the author took time to think of the lives of the characters as well as body language and nuances that bring the characters to life. I hope to see this play on Broadway and a national tour.