Watching Michael J. Asberry in Blue Door

Michael J. Asberry* and James Mercer II* in Tanya Barfield's BLUE DOOR.
Directed by Darryl V. Jones.
Ray Archie, Sound Designer; Brooke Cox, Assistant Stage Manager; Cheryle Honerlah*, Stage Manager, Rehearsals; Eric Daniel Johnson, Properties; Stephanie Anne Johnson, Lighting Designer; Darryl V. Jones, Composer of Original Songs; Bibi Mama, Dialect Coach; Kitty Muntzel, Costume Designer; Scott Reardon*, Stage Manager, Performances; Hector Zavala, Scenic Designer
Photo by Alessandra Mellow.
* Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers

I watched my friend and onetime collaborator Michael J. Asberry star in Tanya Barfield’s Blue Door at Aurora Theater. I have been trying to maintain key aspects of my life from the other side of the pond, having recently moved back from the San Francisco Bay Area. Watching Michael’s shows had been one of my priorities, and I was glad to have an opportunity to do so online, from Hong Kong.

Jame Mercer II’s singing drew me in right away. **SPOILER ALERT** I marveled at the way Michael switched roles fluidly, and laughed out loud when he played the dean briefly, then slipped back smoothly into the role of the math professor hiding his involuntary sabbatical from his wife. The striking image of the blue door lingers. As a lifelong intercontinental migrant, I have been curious about the traditions and languages enslaved Africans carried with them. The play had me laughing and crying, observing many characters through various points in history through two actors alone. I learned a lot from the interplay of historical, social and family vectors. It was my first time hearing Michael sing, and he sang beautifully. No surprise. He started out as a voice actor.

I stayed up till 2 a.m. Hong Kong time watching Blue Door. The next morning, I took my mom to the hospital. After her doctor’s appointment, she seemed anxious to get back to the nursing home. Being in a wheelchair in the rain is not fun, especially on a slope. I later realized I had forgotten to go to the hospital pharmacy. I dropped my mom off at her nursing home and returned to the hospital, realizing there was also paperwork I had to do for my mom there. I wondered if the play had influenced me to empathize more deeply with my mother and take care of her first. There is sometimes a trade off between empathy and efficiency. The play may have tipped the balance towards the former.

Michael and I had a video call to catch up. I asked him questions about his family. He told me he had a militant cousin who was addicted to drugs at one point in his life, like one of the characters in Blue Door. He talked about spending time with his grandmother, who had not been a good parent to his mother at all. He told me he could play many characters because of his many life experiences. I am grateful for his insight. I have long admired his ability to play a wide range of roles. The first time I met Michael was at a table read where he played the role of a lion in one of my plays. Each role he takes on seems like it was written just for him. This is especially true of Lewis in Blue Door.