Charles Reuben as W.E.B. Du Bois and Cameron Holder as Countee Cullen in M Ensemble’s Knock Me as Kiss (Photos by Christa Ingraham).
By Aaron Krause
Things were quite different in America the last time a production of Knock Me a Kiss, a moving historical drama centered around a prominent Black family, played in South Florida.
Indeed, the year was 2014. Barack Obama, the first Black individual to be elected President, was into his second term and people were optimistic. The economy was growing and, just a year later, the Supreme Court legalized same sex marriage.
Flash forward 11 years, to today. It is 2025, and many feel that Democracy in America is in danger of ending. Donald J. Trump, widely considered a racist, fascist, and mentally unfit to be president, is serving in that capacity for the second time. In addition, wars are raging, and hostility and violence against minorities is sky high. Diversity initiatives, among other things, are on the federal government’s chopping block and censorship is happening.
All of this may make you wonder what people such as African American activist W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963) would say if he were alive. In fact, actor Charles Reuben is bringing Du Bois to life vibrantly and believably on stage at M Ensemble Company. The Oldest African American theater company in Florida is, for the second time in 11 years, staging a professional production of Knock Me A Kiss by Charles Smith.
This critic did not catch M. Ensemble’s 2014 version at the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center in Cutler Bay.
This time, M Ensemble’s entertaining, energetic, and convincing production of Knock Me a Kiss is running at the company’s current home at the 200-seat Sandrell Rivers Theater at the Audrey M. Edmonson Transit Village in Miami. It remains onstage through April 27.
Under Andre L. Gainey’s sensitive direction, the current production stars, in addition to Reuben, Lela Elam, Cameron Holder, Jean Hyppolite, Dina Lewis, and Tyquisha A. Braynen.
These talented performers inject believable life into mostly relatable and imperfect human beings rather than cardboard historical figures with whom we cannot connect.
Knock Me a Kiss is Smith’s 1999 fictional account inspired by the actual events surrounding the 1928 marriage of Du Bois’s daughter, Yolande (1900-1961), to one of Harlem’s great poets, Countee Cullen (1903-1946).
More specifically, the match united the daughter of America’s foremost Black intellectual, cofounder of the NAACP and publisher of Crisis Magazine, and a young poet. At the time, experts considered Cullen’s work to be one of the flagships for the New Negro movement (another name for the Harlem Renaissance).
The marriage marked the height of the Harlem Renaissance, and folks viewed the pairing as the perfect union of Black talent and beauty. But while the union may have seemed fitting, the couple ultimately did not make a good match. In his play, Smith takes us behind the scenes to reveal a domestic conflict and one between the carnal and the intellect.
The play tells a story, rather than imparting a history lesson with dry facts and dates. While the exposition is sometimes awkward and the play can feel dated in some respects, the play is generally compelling. And some of the questions the play raises seem relevant today. They include the question of when does a public figure’s privacy end and the public’s “right” (or desire) to know take precedence.
To appreciate a historical play, it helps to consider the period in which the piece takes place and its setting. The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement during the 1920s and 1930s that celebrated African American art, music, and literature. The movement was centered in Harlem, N.Y. during a period of great creativity and expression within Harlem’s Black community. While segregation was the law of the land in the South, African Americans through The Great Migration traveled up north and found success. But while movements such as the Harlem Renaissance translated into African Americans achievements, Black people still faced discrimination and segregation
.
In 1928 Harlem, the play’s setting, W.E.B. Du Bois views his daughter’s marriage to a prominent and talented Black poet as a stepping stone to greater things for the Black community. Therefore, he encourages the couple to wed.
But in addition to her interest in the poet, Yolande is seeing a musician named Jimmy Lunceford (1902-1947). More specifically, he was an American big band leader whose “rhythmically appealing, well-disciplined orchestra was one of the most influential of the swing era,” according to Britannica.
While a romantic triangle exists in Knock Me a Kiss, we never sense that Yolande is truly torn between Lunceford and Cullen. In fact, she does not rebel after her father encourages her to wed Cullen. In this way, Yolande is unlike, for instance, Hermia in Shakespeare’s comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As you may know, Hermia wishes to marry Lysander against her father’s wishes; he orders her to wed Demetrius.
In Knock Me a Kiss, with language that is graceful and poetic, and during other scenes, earthy and common, Smith depicts the battles between Yolande and Cullen, as well as the struggle between the young woman and the musician. What emerges are clear differences between the polished and intellectual world of folks such as Cullen and the more primitive universe of people such as Lunceford. He is not nearly as refined as the poet and W.E.B. Du Bois.
The play’s ending is disappointing if you are searching for a neat conclusion that offers a clear resolution. Indeed, about the only thing we can say at the end is that perhaps Yolande and her mother will grow closer after the younger woman sits down to tea with her mom just before the final curtain. In addition, while you feel for Yolande (in the end, she gets neither man) you leave the play feeling hopeful that she will follow through on her plans to help the needy by teaching school in Baltimore.
Speaking of the mother, Elam, who portrayed Yolande’s confidant, Lenora, in M Ensemble’s 2014 production, returns this time to step into Nina’s skin (Yolande’s mother).
Nina (1871-1950) seems to be a troubled character. For instance, more than once, someone tells us Nina sees things that are not there. Also, Nina repeats herself at least once.
Certainly, we can sympathize with Nina, who might be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. After all, her son, Burghardt, died of diphtheria when he was two. And Nina has never forgiven her husband for making the family move to what was then highly segregated Atlanta. In fact, hospital caregivers there would not even look at the Black toddler, let alone give him potentially life-saving medicine that was available in the facility.
Elam plays Nina with clear tension, but she makes that trait seem organic to her character. To her credit, we never sense that Elam, the performer, is nervous on stage. While Elam’s Nina is nervous and wary, she is clearly a devoted and loving mother who wants best for her daughter.
Lewis convincingly conveys Yolande’s charm and dreaminess. In addition, we keenly sense the character’s strong desires and her tendency to act flirty is somehow endearing. While Lewis’s Yolande is a spoiled daddy’s girl, the actor’s fine performance makes Yolande convincingly likable. As Lewis portrays her, we also sense Yolande’s disappointment and frustration with the men in her life.
With glasses perched on his nose, Reuben’s W.E.B. Du Bois, sporting a grey suit under a shaved head, resembles a scholar. The performer radiates believable passion and conviction in the role. True, this character can be unlikable at times (he addresses Nina as “Wife” and Yolande as “Daughter). Even so, Reuben makes his character wise but never arrogant or smothering. Instead, he is a well-meaning man who wants what is best for his family and the Black community in general.
Holder is generally stiff and formal as Cullen, but these are characteristics that the character seems to possess. Eventually, Holder’s Cullen conveys genuine emotion that keeps the character from being one-dimensional. Holder speaks eloquently, befitting this real-life, talented, and elegant poet.
While Holder is often upright and stiff, Hyppolite is generally loose and larger than life as Lunceford. As the actor portrays him, you also sense that this charismatic, jazzy man, speaking in a scratchy voice at times, is fun loving, but he can also be impulsive and argumentative. And specific actions, such as lifting Yolande, seem appropriate for this carnal character.
In a previous South Florida production of Jesus Hopped the A Train, Hyppolite was riveting and impressively naturalistic in his role as an unapologetic prisoner. That is the also the case here.
Braynen also shines onstage, injecting the vivacious Lenora with a spirited and supportive aura.
Behind the scenes, Mitchell Ost’s scenic design is realistic, spacious, and somehow assumes a historic aura. With portraits of prominent Black people gracing the reddish-colored wall, books neatly arranged on bookshelves, and pillows for a couch and chairs, the setting resembles a café, office, or upscale home.
Quanikqua “Q” Bradshaw-Bryant’s realistic lighting evocatively illuminates the set and performers. The performers wear period costumes (the program does not identify a costume designer) and the sound design, also uncredited, is clear. We can consistently hear and understand the performers.
The play’s title comes from a Louis Jordan song that Lunceford sings during the piece. The opening lyrics are among the first words we hear immediately after the show opens: “I like cake and no mistake, but baby if you insist, I’ll cut out cake just for your sake. Baby, c’mon knock me a kiss.”
As a playwright, many of Smith’s plays use historical contexts to explore contemporary issues of race, identity, and politics in America. And, as you will find, his writing can be as poetic and graceful as those lyrics.
Knock Me a Kiss by Charles Smith from M Ensemble Company plays through April 27, with performances at 8 p.m. April 18, 19, 25, and 26 as well as 3 p.m. April 20 and 27. Performed at the Sandrell Rivers Theater at Audrey M. Edmonson Transit Village, 6103 N.W. 7th Ave. in Miami. The parking garage’s address is 6101 N.W. 6th Ct. Tickets are $36, with $26 tickets for students and seniors. Go to www.themensemble.com or call (305) 705-3218, or (305) 200-5043.
(From left) Cameron Holder as Countee Cullen, Lela Elam as Nina Du Bois, Charles Reuben as W.E.B. Du Bois and Dina Lewis as Yolande Du Bois
A PaperStreet Web Design
