The late actor’s writing was overshadowed by roles in blockbusters. Now, Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu is giving his play about grief the audience it deserves
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H
ello and welcome to The Long Wave. Last week I went to watch the play Deep Azure, written by the late actor Chadwick Boseman, at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, part of the Globe theatre in London. It’s a show full of verve, poetry powered by hip-hop, Jacobean verse and beautifully choreographed movement. I spoke to Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu, the play’s director, about the importance of reviving Black work and the responsibility of not only honouring Boseman’s memory but also showcasing the full spectrum of the Black experience globally.
The eulogies for Chadwick Boseman, who died in August 2020 at the age of 43, understandably led with his roles in blockbuster films: global fame as T’Challa in Black Panther, as James Brown in Get on Up, and in his portrayals of other historic American figures. Little known, however, was that Boseman was also an avid writer and director whose prose and verse depict the Black American experience. His staunch support of Black Lives Matter was clear when, in June that same year, he and more than 300 other Black artists signed a letter demanding the US film industry sever ties with the police, including stopping the use of police officers on sets and at events, and invest more in Black communities.
