Dedicated to the memory of Medgar Evers and “the dead children of Birmingham,”
James Baldwin’s ground-breaking play Blues for Mister Charlie was described by the
New York Times as an exploration of a “moral crisis,” a drama with "fury in its belly,
tears of anguish in its eyes and a roar of protest in its throat.”
In April, 1964, Blues opened on Broadway, but its producers were soon losing
money—largely because Baldwin insisted on a minimal ticket price so that black
people could see it. In June, 1964, hoping that publicity would boost the play’s box
office, Baldwin edited his two-and-a-half-hour opus into a half-hour compilation of
excerpts: filmed live with the original cast—with supportive commentary by the
National Council of Churches—it was broadcast by the CBS series “Look Up & Live.”
In August, 1964, despite contributions from high-profile patrons, the play closed.
For many years, a sealed 16mm print of that recorded performance lay untouched in
the basement of Baldwin’s 17th-century French farmhouse: ideal conditions for
pristine film storage.
In 1987, Baldwin died unexpectedly at age 63. For the last two years of his life, he
had been collaborating with filmmaker Karen Thorsen on a cInéma vérité project;
after his death, Baldwin’s brother David gave the long-forgotten Blues film print to
Thorsen. In 1989, five brief excerpts of the play were included in Thorsen’s award-
winning film portrait, JAMES BALDWIN: THE PRICE OF THE TICKET—and in
1998, the original film can and its contents became part of her Schomburg-based
Baldwin Archive.
In 2026, with the support of Ohio State University, this abridged version of
Baldwin’s original Broadway production—not seen in public since 1964—has now
been restored & digitized.
We are thrilled to present the following program.
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“Baldwin on Broadway”
A Wealth of Non-Fiction, Fiction and Verbal Fire
• A live reading of “Notes for Blues,” Baldwin’s introductory
essay to his 1964 play.
• Public premiere of the newly-restored & re-mastered
adaptation of Blues for Mister Charlie, featuring the original
Broadway cast.
• A panel discussion with filmmaker Karen Thorsen and one or
more Blues scholars, intercut with archival onscreen
commentary by James Baldwin, writer Amiri Baraka and
actor/director Frances Foster.
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Performance time approximately two hours
