Tony award-nominee Calvin Levels (Open Admissions) is set to perform his acclaimed one-man look at the life of renowned American author and Civil Rights activist James Baldwin. The show, James Baldwin: Down from the Mountaintop, coincides with the upcoming 20th anniversary of Baldwin's death. The play, will run for one night only, Thursday April 26, at the James Baldwin School (351 West 18th Street) in Manhattan.
James Baldwin: Down from the Mountaintop depicts Baldwin's remarkable life, according to press notes, "from his early childhood growing up in Harlem as a prodigious reader to his death at home in the South of France. The play covers Baldwin's first sexual experiences and love affairs…his relationships with mentor and friend Beauford Delaney and idol Richard Wright…the publishing of his works, including Go Tell It on the Mountain, Notes on a Native Son, and Giovanni's Room." Baldwin also one of the first openly-gay prominent writers of the 20th century, and the show will also explore his affiliations
Marlon Brando, Lorraine Hansberry, Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, and Langston Hughes, as well as civil rights leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Medgar Evers, and Malcolm X.
Levels' performance in
Open Admissions earned him a Best Actor Tony nomination, and he has also appeared in numerous film, television and theatrical productions. He was recently honored by the National James Baldwin Literary Society for his contribution to the legacy of James Baldwin.
Following the show, there will be a talkback featuring Levels; publisher and author Sol Stein; Baldwin biographer and associate
David Leeming; Baldwin family members; and others to be announced.
Tickets are $35 and $50. To purchase, call Telecharge at 212-239-6200 or 800-432-7250 for those outside NYC. Tickets are also available by visiting
www.Telecharge.com
