About the Show

A dramatization of the historic debate between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr.

In 1965, two of America’s greatest minds were invited to debate whether “the American Dream is at the expense of the American Negro,” bringing to light our country’s most staunchly held prejudices.

The celebrated theater company, Elevator Repair Service returns to The Public with a deeply prescient presentation of the classic debate between esteemed writer James Baldwin and bastion of American conservatism William F. Buckley, Jr.

A damning exploration of race, racism, and human worth, featuring Daphne Gaines (Lorraine Hansberry), Gavin Price (Mr. Heycock), Greig Sargeant (James Baldwin), Christopher-Rashee Stevenson (Mr. Burford), and Ben Williams (William F. Buckley, Jr.).

Critic Reviews (11)

"What 'Baldwin and Buckley' does provide feels both dense and thin, with the translation from transcript to theater incomplete."
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" 'Baldwin and Buckley at Cambridge' at least avoids the trap of preaching to the choir, giving Buckley's argument its full hearing in its very best form."
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“The Cambridge debate offers a clarifying view of the original sin, built into this country's DNA, with which we are still coming to grips. At one point, Baldwin refers to Robert Kennedy's remark that in four decades we might see a Black president. ("And that sounded like a very emancipated statement, I suppose, to white people," he adds, witheringly.) That milestone has come and gone, only a couple of years after Kennedy's projected due date. Indeed, we've had our Black president. And yet, here we are.”
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"As theatre, 'Baldwin and Buckley at Cambridge' may lack urgency, but the impossible task of creating an equitable and accepting society remains as crucial as ever. And we must demand it."
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"Better to recall that the memorable Cambridge debate also happened and is importantly remembered here in only slightly compromised form."
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"If your goal is to savor Baldwin’s response, mull it over, plumb its depths, you may need to resort to the historical record or better yet YouTube, where the exchange is preserved for posterity."
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Like "Lesson in Survival: 1971" which recreated the James Baldwin/Nikki Giovanni interview that had appeared on the television show “Soul!,” the question arises is this a play. Whether it is or it isn’t, it is definitely a theatrical experience and an historical one besides. It is not for those looking exclusively for entertainment but instead the heady play of ideas. It requires a good deal of concentration and those who follow its arguments will be greatly rewarded as to the question of race in America.
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"The power of watching this debate is that we are there, live, in the audience. The house lights are on throughout the debate, and we soon come to realize that we are an essential part of the event."
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Trailer

Creative team

Elevator Repair Service