News on your favorite shows, specials & more!

Slave Play 2019

Run Time:
2 hours, no intermission
Ages: 17+
Opened: October 6, 2019
Closing: January 19, 2020

Slave Play - 2019 Broadway History , Info & More

John Golden Theatre (Broadway)
252 West 45th St. New York, NY

It stunned audiences with a sold-out run at New York Theatre Workshop. Now, Slave Play is coming to Broadway. Written by Jeremy O. Harris, "one of the most promising playwrights of his generation" (Vogue), this "dazzling mix of satire and psychodrama" (The New York Times) is directed by two-time NAACP and OBIE Award winner Robert O'Hara.

The Old South lives on at the MacGregor Plantation - in the breeze, in the cotton fields... and in the crack of the whip. Nothing is as it seems, and yet everything is as it seems. Slave Play rips apart history to shed new light on the nexus of race, gender, and sexuality in 21st-century America.


Get Slave Play Email Alerts

Be the first to get ticket offers, news, photos & more.

FEATURED REVIEWS FOR Slave Play

Review: ‘Slave Play,’ Four Times as Big and Just as Searing
9 / 10

Uptown, his staging has grown broader and funnier but no less trenchant in the 800-seat Golden than it was in a space one-quarter the size; the continuous embroidering of marvelous detail fills any gaps that might have opened in the expansion. (Watch Phillip take refuge under his hoodie when he gets overwhelmed, or Alana scramble after her notebook as if it might protect her from what she's learning.) The returning cast - especially Mr. Cusati-Moyer as the boyfriend who pathetically insists he is not as white as he looks - has likewise amped up the emotional volume; they have a bigger house to bring down. Their performances make that of the only new cast member - Ms. Kalukango - even more distinct and grave by comparison. As Kaneisha becomes the center of the play's argument, you see her struggle to express herself playing out on her face before she has the words. When the words do come, they are all the more devastating.

Broadway Review: ‘Slave Play’
8 / 10

Jeremy O. Harris' broad send-up of race and sex in America, 'Slave Play,' isn't outrageously funny. But it does have its funny moments - and it certainly is outrageous. In the very first scenes, we're confronted with three vignettes of seduction and copulation. For starters, a slave named Kaneisha (the abundantly talented Joaquina Kalukango) enthusiastically seduces Massa Jim (Paul Alexander Nolan), who prefers to be called Mista Jim, by throwing herself on the cabin floor and twerking.

SLAVE PLAY Will Be Recorded Tonight By Lincoln Center for the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive
by Chloe Rabinowitz - January 15, 2020


Slave Play, written by Jeremy O. Harris and directed by Robert O'Hara, will be recorded tonight for the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive, part of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, at Lincoln Center.

BWW Flashback: SLAVE PLAY Concludes Broadway Run Today
by Nicole Rosky - January 19, 2020


Jeremy O. Harris's Slave Play, directed by Robert O'Hara, will conclude its Broadway run at the John Golden Theatre today, January 19. The show played 29 previews and 121 regular performances.

Photo Flash: Jeremy O. Harris Visits National Black Theatre For Town Hall Convening on SLAVE PLAY
by Chloe Rabinowitz - December 10, 2019


National Black Theatre (NBT) hosted a special evening of community gathering on Slave Play on Monday as it convened a town hall to discuss the critically acclaimed Broadway phenomenon by playwright Jeremy O. Harris. The intimate event, which included nationally recognized notables, was designed to create an opportunity for New Yorkers who had seen the controversial show to discuss the play and its themes.

SLAVE PLAY Launches New Ticket Gifting Service
by Chloe Rabinowitz - December 10, 2019


An offhand tweet from Jeremy O. Harris turned into an organic movement during the NYTW run of SLAVE PLAY. It started with his artist friends and active community members writing him to say they couldn't afford the ticket prices for his show. He responded by putting out an appeal to his 'rich friends' on social media, asking them to go to the box office, buy tickets to SLAVE PLAY, and leave them there for others to use.

SLAVE PLAY, GRAND HORIZONS and More Announced in Parity Productions' List of Qualifying Productions for December
by Chloe Rabinowitz - December 2, 2019


Theatre production company Parity Productions has released its monthly list of Qualifying Productions for December their popular directory of New York City shows in which the individual creative teams have 50% of the positions filled with women and/or trans and gender nonconforming (TGNC) artists (directors, designers, and playwrights). 

VIDEO: Jeremy O. Harris Talks SLAVE PLAY, Rihanna, and Making Theatre More Affordable on LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS
by Kaitlin Milligan - October 30, 2019


Jeremy O. Harris was a guest on Last Night with Seth Meyers to talk about his Broadway show, Slave Play. During the interview, Harris talks about his love for Rihanna, her music in Slave Play, and receiving texts from her during the show. Harris also talks to host Seth Meyers about how he wants to make Broadway more affordable and how he scams people to get free tickets to theater shows.

VIDEO: SLAVE PLAY's James Cusati-Moyer Takes Over Instagram!
by Linnae Medeiros - October 28, 2019


BroadwayWorld got an inside look at Slave Play yesterday as James Cusati-Moyer took over BroadwayWorld's Instagram Story! So in case you missed it (or just want to relive all of the fun and excitement), we compiled clips for you to enjoy. Check it all out!

SLAVE PLAY's James Cusati-Moyer Takes Over Instagram Saturday!
by Linnae Medeiros - October 25, 2019


Get ready because Slave Play's James Cusati-Moyer is taking over BroadwayWorld's Instagram Story this Saturday, October 26th! Be sure to tune in throughout the day to get a behind-the-scenes look at a two-show day of Jeremy O. Harris's acclaimed new play at Broadway's Golden Theatre!

SLAVE PLAY Announces Two-Week Extension on Broadway
by Nicole Rosky - October 10, 2019


Jeremy O. Harris's Slave Play, which opened just last week at the Golden Theatre already has more to celebrate. The play, directed by Robert O'Hara, has just announced that it will extend its limited run by two weeks, now closing on January 19, 2020. The show was previously scheduled to close on January 5. 

TV: Go Inside Opening Night of SLAVE PLAY on Broadway with Jeremy O. Harris & More!
by TV - Opening Night Special - October 7, 2019


The best of Broadway gathered at the Golden Theatre last night, October 6, to celebrate the arrival of Slave Play, the acclaimed new play by Jeremy O. Harris, directed by Robert O'Hara, opens tonight, October 6, at Broadway's Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street). Broadway World was there for the big night and we're taking you inside the festivities below!

Photo Coverage: On The Opening Night Red Carpet of SLAVE PLAY
by Jennifer Broski - October 7, 2019


The best of Broadway gathered at the Golden Theatre last night, October 6, to celebrate the arrival of Slave Play, the acclaimed new play by Jeremy O. Harris, directed by Robert O'Hara, opens tonight, October 6, at Broadway's Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street). Broadway World was there for the big night and we're taking you to the red carpet below!

Photo Coverage: SLAVE PLAY Celebrates Opening Night on Broadway!
by Jennifer Broski - October 7, 2019


The Best of Broadway gathered at the Golden Theatre last night, October 6, to celebrate the arrival of Slave Play, the acclaimed new play by Jeremy O. Harris, directed by Robert O'Hara, opens tonight, October 6, at Broadway's Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street).

Review Roundup: What Did the Critics Think of SLAVE PLAY on Broadway?
by Stephi Wild - October 6, 2019


Tonight is the official opening for Slave Play, the acclaimed new play by Jeremy O. Harris, directed by Robert O'Hara, at Broadway's Golden Theatre.

BWW Review: Jeremy O. Harris' Bold and Dynamic SLAVE PLAY Moves To Broadway
by Michael Dale - October 6, 2019


Slave Play ventures into subject matter the likes of which this playgoer has never seen presented on Broadway, and does so in a bold, even outlandish manner that should be admired and welcomed. This older straight white critic won't claim to get everything the 30-year-old gay African-American playwright is saying, but if voices like his-those that have long been nurtured and developed by non-profit Off-Broadway-can be commercially successful on Broadway, the fabled boulevard can advance just a little closer to truly being the artistic center of American theatre.

TV: Watch Broadway Walk the Red Carpet on Opening Night of SLAVE PLAY
by TV - Red Carpets - October 6, 2019


Slave Play, the acclaimed new play by Jeremy O. Harris, directed by Robert O'Hara, opens tonight, October 6, at Broadway's Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street).

Getting To Know Acclaimed SLAVE PLAY Author, Jeremy O. Harris
by A.A. Cristi - October 5, 2019


Jeremy O. Harris, a Yale alumni, makes his Broadway debut this season with the challenging and haunting new work, Slave Play.

Photo Flash: First Look at SLAVE PLAY on Broadway!
by Nicole Rosky - October 1, 2019


Preview performances are underway for Slave Play, the acclaimed new play by Jeremy O. Harris, directed by Robert O'Hara, at Broadway's Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street) ahead of an official opening night of Sunday, October 6.

Photo Flash: SLAVE PLAY Creator Jeremy O. Harris Hosts 'Black Out'
by Stephi Wild - September 20, 2019


Yesterday evening in New York City, Broadway's SLAVE PLAY and its creator, playwright Jeremy O. Harris hosted BLACK OUT during the show's previews. BLACK OUT dedicated the 804 seats of 45th Street's Golden Theatre to an audience of black identified artists, writers, activists, creatives, and students in celebration of the critically-acclaimed, Robert O'Hara directed play and in recognition of Broadway's rich, diverse, and fraught history with black work. The event was followed by a Talk Forward moderated by VULTURE Staff Writer Hunter Harris and Author Casey Gerald, during which playwright Jeremy O. Harris discussed the work, buzz, and questions around this play - as well as Broadway's history of work created by black artists.

SLAVE PLAY Launches Digital Lottery Today
by Julie Musbach - September 18, 2019


Starting today, a limited number of $29 tickets will be sold to winners of the digital lottery powered by Shubert Ticketing through the Telecharge Digital Lottery platform, which provides theatergoers wide access to affordable tickets through multiple social media networks.

SLAVE PLAY Announces In-Person Rush
by Julie Musbach - September 10, 2019


Preview performances begin tonight for Slave Play. As part of the Slave Play's ongoing commitment to affordable ticket accessibility, the show will offer an in-person rush policy.

Meet the Cast of SLAVE PLAY- Now in Previews!
by Julie Musbach - September 10, 2019


Slave Play, the acclaimed new work by Jeremy O. Harris, directed by Robert O'Hara, is on its way to making its Broadway debut.

SLAVE PLAY Announces Full Cast Including Paul Alexander Nolan, Ato Blankson-Wood, James Cusati-Moyer, and More!
by Stephi Wild - August 13, 2019


Full casting has been announced for the upcoming Broadway premiere of Slave Play, the acclaimed new work by Jeremy O. Harris, directed by Robert O'Hara.

Up on the Marquee: SLAVE PLAY Arrives on Broadway
by Jennifer Broski - August 8, 2019


Producers Greg Nobile and Jana Shea of Seaview Productions, Troy Carter, Level Forward, and Nine Stories, founded by Jake Gyllenhaal and Riva Marker, have now officially announced that Slave Play, by Jeremy O. Harris, directed by Robert O'Hara, will be coming to Broadway's Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street) this fall. The strictly limited 17-week engagement will begin preview performances Tuesday, September 10, ahead of an official opening night of Sunday, October 6.

Slave Play History

Other Productions of Slave Play

2018   Off-Broadway NYTW Off-Broadway World Premiere
Off-Broadway
2019   Broadway Original Broadway Production
Broadway
2021   Broadway Broadway Return
Broadway
   West End
West End

Slave Play - 2019 Broadway Awards and Nominations

Note: Award winners will appear on a background
Year Ceremony Category Nominee
2020 Drama League Awards Distinguished Performance Award Ato Blankson-Wood
2020 Drama League Awards Outstanding Production of a Play Slave Play
2020 Outer Critics Circle Awards Outstanding Actress in a Play Joaquina Kalukango
2020 Tony Awards Best Costume Design of a Play Dede Ayite
2020 Tony Awards Best Direction of a Play Robert O'Hara
2020 Tony Awards Best Lighting Design of a Play Jiyoun Chang
2020 Tony Awards Best Original Score Lindsay Jones
2020 Tony Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play Ato Blankson-Wood
2020 Tony Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play James Cusati-Moyer
2020 Tony Awards Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play Chalia La Tour
2020 Tony Awards Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play Annie McNamara
2020 Tony Awards Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play Joaquina Kalukango
2020 Tony Awards Best Play Jeremy O. Harris
2020 Tony Awards Best Scenic Design of a Play Clint Ramos
2020 Tony Awards Best Sound Design of a Play Lindsay Jones

Videos