On Saturday, Nov. 11, the play “His Double Life” will take the stage for one night only in Atlanta. Although it originally debuted in 2011, producer and writer Nial Martin, founder of No Jive Productions, says there has never been a better time to revive a play he hopes will start a dialogue in families about love, identity and acceptance.
The play stars Robyn Charles, the youngest daughter of Georgia singer and pianist Ray Charles. It is fitting that the production kicks off its national tour in Georgia, Charles says, because she has recently been searching to connect with her own roots in the state.
The younger Charles grew up on the westside of Chicago and has moved around throughout her wide-ranging career as a recording artist, live performer and film and stage actress. “I’m a bit of a gypsy,” Charles said. “But about a year ago I saw my father’s childhood home in Greenville, Florida, and realized I wanted to initiate more interaction with those communities who work to preserve my family’s history.” Her father was born in Albany, Ga., about 150 miles south of Atlanta.
While exploring her own family history, Charles was offered the lead role in “His Double Life” by Martin, who wrote the play after years of struggling with his relationship with his own father.
“His Double Life” reflects Martin’s lifelong endeavor to understand his own identity and attempt to live up to his father’s expectations, he said. The website describes the play as a “comedy-drama that addresses hardcore issues such as sexuality, suicide, and forgiveness. It is a play that tells a story of a young man who craves the unconditional love of his father, but finds that no matter what he does, he is unable to measure up.”
“It’s definitely not your typical stage play,” Martin said. “It confronts real life issues. There’s a lot of emotion.” The website advises that the production is for “mature audiences only,” as it contains adult language, content and brief nudity.
To help teenagers facing similar hardships, Martin turned No Jive Productions into a nonprofit that engages ‘at-risk’ teenagers with the fine arts. The organization is based in South Florida, where Martin is from. He also hopes “His Double Life” raises awareness of the teen suicide rate, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks as the second-highest leading cause of death for ages 10 to 34.
For Charles, starring in this production is less about the acting and more about the message it’s promoting. “The character I’m playing is so much like me, it’s literally like I’m playing myself,” she said. “But the idea that Nial is trying to share about love is really an idea I want to bring to the table here and in my other work — there’s too much violence and judgment out there.”
The cast also includes actor Quincy Bonds, known for his role as Pookie in the Tyler Perry series “House of Payne”; Sherrod Burress, who has appeared in BET’s “The Quad,” Tyler Perry’s “Greenleaf,” and “Empire”; and David Tolliver, a member of the 1990s rhythm and blues group Men at Large.
The play recently changed venues, so details about the time of the play on Nov. 11, as well as how to buy tickets will be added soon. More information about “His Double Life” can be found at www.nojiveproductions.com/HisDoubleLife.htm.
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