Duchess!

I’m incredibly excited to watch Steppenwolf Theater Company’s latest online offering, DUCHESS! DUCHESS! DUCHESS!, which is about my favorite topic of the moment (and most moments), Meghan Markle and the Royal Family. The play is formatted as an interview between two Black women named the Soon-to-Be Duchess and The Duchess. What begins as a conventional “princess lessons” conversation devolves into a study in holding one’s tongue—and to think Vivian J.O. Barnes started writing this in 2018, before Megs and Harry were even married! I’m eager to see what Barnes makes of both the Soon-to-Be and Duchess characters, and will be more than happy to discuss with anyone else who watches. 

—Julia Hammer, Creative Executive