Interview: Playwright Vincent Victoria Focuses on Historical Empowerment in THE DISAPPEARANCE OF EARTHA KITT

Parallel to the 50th Anniversary of activist and entertainer Eartha Kitt's notorious visit to the White House in January 1968, Vincent Victoria's new play The Disappearance of Eartha Kitt will be making its world premiere in Houston. The play will detail the whereabouts and life of Eartha Kitt from 1968-1978, as she moved her career to Europe, later returning to Broadway to be nominated for a Tony Award in her musical comeback "Timbuktu".

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While The Disappearance of Eartha Kitt stories historical events that transpired half a century ago, the social themes and political challenges Eartha Kitt faced foreshadow current events, social protests, and timelessly relevant motifs present in our society. Playwright Vincent Victoria discusses his motivation behind highlighting this woman and her individualistic personality that drove the controversial and notable event of her speaking out against current issues at the White House in 1968.

In light of Martin Luther King Jr. Day earlier this week, the #MeToo and Time's Up women's movements, and the peaceful but potent protest in the NFL as players knelt during the National Anthem, Vincent Victoria's The Disappearance of Eartha Kitt comes at a timely moment for meaningful theatre and education-oriented entertainment.

I'd love to hear about the motivation behind your writing of this show. What made you feel compelled to focus on this individual and her experiences speaking out against injustice?

I was compelled to write a show about Eartha Kitt because she was always so fascinating as a performer. She was not afraid to be an individual, as an entertainer or as a person. No one sounded like Eartha Kitt! No one looked like Eartha Kitt. Though not a great singer or an actress in my opinion, she was a Great Personality who dared you to look away from her on screen or onstage. That's what interested me.

This year happens to be the 50th Anniversary of her speaking out at the White House against the Vietnam War and Juvenile Delinquency, so I thought it was appropriate to do a play about an almost forgotten incident that caused a major controversy in the country in 1968. 1968 was a year of seismic stories, though with the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, plus the volatile Presidential Election of that year, the Kitt story has gotten lost.

In writing this production, especially in today's sociopolitical climate, did you have any end goals in mind regarding the effects of this piece of theatre?

Eartha Kitt spoke her mind. She would not have stood for sexual harassment or social injustice, so her outspokenness in 1968 serves as an early link to today's ME TOO movement. My goal for this production is for the audience to see and relate to a strong African American woman who hated labels and always let her truth be known and her voice be heard.

Have you encountered any challenges as a playwright crafting a piece of theatre based on real historical events?

I think the challenge of writing a historical piece is always trying to be as accurate as possible in dialogue. I have to make sure modern slang does not slip into the writing. It is also a challenge when writing about a historical person whose image so ingrained in our minds because of their fame, speech patterns, or attitudes that I have to pay special attention when casting the roles. Because Eartha Kitt was so distinctive, I had to have actresses that could, at least, sound like her. In this show, I have 4 actresses playing Kitt at different stages of her life.

As both Playwright and Director of this show, what are you hoping for the audience members to take away from after seeing The Disappearance of Eartha Kitt?

When the audience leaves the show, I want them to go home and want to research more into this complex woman's life and career, if they did not already know about her. She was a true triple threat performer that maintained strict discipline and professionalism during her seven-decade career, and her career serves as a guidepost for a lasting career in show business. I also want the audience to know me as a writer that takes great care in researching his subject and writes about historical figures in a way that does not make you feel that you are sitting in History class.

Photography Credit: Walter Heussmann

The Disappearance of Eartha Kitt opens Thursday, January 18th and will run through Sunday, January 28th at Midtown Art Center, 3414 LaBranch at Holman. Performances are Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm, and Sundays at 3:00pm, with an additional Sunday evening performance January 28th at 7:30pm. Tickets are available for purchase at www.banksbrothersproductions.com or through the Box Office at 281.832.6380.

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