A Conversation with Director Ben Guillory, "Last Night at Mikell's," Los Angeles Theatre Center, by James Scarborough

In "Last Night at Mikell's," playwright Larry Muhammad paints an intimate portrait of James Baldwin's return to New York City that weaves jazz, literature, and friendship into a meditation on legacy. The play transforms Theatre 4 at the Los Angeles Theatre Center into Mikell's, the legendary jazz club where Baldwin's brother David tends bar. Muhammad's script positions Baldwin at a crucial moment: after two heart attacks, he seeks solace in familiar surroundings, only to find that change has already taken root. Dramatic tension emerges from the interplay between Miles Davis and Maya Angelou, both companions and catalysts for Baldwin's impromptu elegy to the closing establishment.

Director Ben Guillory orchestrates this speculative encounter with an understanding of its historical weight. The cast, featuring Julio Hanson, Raquel Rosser, William Warren, and Nick Gillie, must balance portrayals of cultural icons and disclosure of their human vulnerabilities. The decision to set the entire piece for one night creates an urgency that mirrors Baldwin's own race against time, both in his deteriorating health and in his compulsion to document the moment through writing.

The play speaks to themes of Black cultural spaces, artistic legacy, and the price of creation. Through Baldwin's spontaneous writing of the club's elegy, Muhammad explores how artists process loss and transform personal pain into lasting work. This West Coast premiere by The Robey Theatre Company continues their tradition of presenting thought-provoking works that examine the intersection of art, identity, and social change.

Below follows an email conversation with Ben Guillory.

JS: The play centers on James Baldwin's return to New York after experiencing health issues. What drew you to this moment in Baldwin's life? 

BG: The story, cast of characters & idea of friendship.

JS: Could you discuss your approach to directing scenes that involve real historical figures like Maya Angelou and Miles Davis? 

BG: It comes down to the play & what is necessary to honor the story the playwright is telling. Part of the task with these specific characters is maintaining the integrity of the characters, and to recreate their humanity in the circumstances of the play. The casting process is all important as it is in any theatrical vision. Once the cast is in place the actors will bring their own qualities to the process & all is molded during the rehearsal process. Then the work is to find the essence of each character & each one’s very specific behavior.  This is the acting assignment. All is molded during the rehearsal process. This is where the alchemy of the creative is discovered.

JS: How did you work with the production team to recreate the atmosphere of Mikell's jazz club? 

BG: From the beginning I wanted a slight surreal quality to this institution because of what happened in Mikells. I felt we needed to somehow transmit the sense of the artistry that permeated it. The complexity of music, the poetry, literature, & creative alliance that were conceived out of its social interactions. All this was inspired there. Mikell’s was a real place but it was very difficult to find photos that we could use in the design to bring a certain authenticity. so there was some creative license taken that was New York. With sound, lighting & the images projected designed by Vanessa Fernandez, & the playing area environment by Grant Gerrard itself we worked for a kind of sensorial quality that was laid bare with its closing but  still echoed its essence.

JS: What challenges did you face in balancing the play's celebratory elements with its underlying themes of mortality and loss?

BG: Challenges are opportunities answered and dealt with in execution of the creative process. Discovery, Discovery, Discovery.

JS: How did you collaborate with the cast to develop portrayals of these iconic figures?

BG: The actors are creatives. We have worked together before & trust each other & know that because we admire these iconic figures that they are not saints but are oh so human & it is the fact that they are human that did extraordinary things, this is the very thing that makes them admirable & extraordinary. The play is a very intimate private moment about a no holds barred Friendship. These ARTISTS also know about the process & have a great deal of confidence & trust in our specific discovery process. The pivotal question we continually ask is ‘WHY.’

JS: The play features Baldwin writing an impromptu elegy. How does this creative act function within the larger narrative?

BG: Of course because this is James Baldwin doing what he does best even if it puts him down for the count.

JS: Elaborate on the significance of setting the entire play during one night.

BG: It doesn't happen in one night. There are four separate lives that have mutual & separate histories that intersect & convene on this one night that is the event of the play. Life & plays happen moment to moment & culminate often in one moment that changes lives & presents a revelation. 

JS: How does the presence of Baldwin's brother David as the bartender affect the dramatic dynamics?

BG: Close Blood family always knows intimacies about each other & the vulnerabilities we tend to conceal from others. David shares some of these with Maya & Miles. He also has the insight to the humane frailties that only a bartender would be learned in. He is a practiced listener, observer & on occasion commentator.

JS: What role does music play in your vision for this production?

BG: Miles of course is a mood setter even before he plays a note. His presence as well as David’s set a tone, a kind of understated soundtrack. Maya’s poetry & presents along with an uncompromising devotion to Jimmy is what hums underneath it all.

JS: How do you see this play contributing to the ongoing dialogue about preserving Black cultural spaces?

BG: Black cultural spaces & influences are an integral part of this country & culture of this country. It is not going anywhere. It is tangible & intangible. You know of course Black culture is in the air you breathe, the land you stand on & everywhere you look. The preservation of Black culture & its spaces is inevitable.

Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 p.m., from April 12 through May 11, 2025. Tickets are $40 for general admission, $25 for students, seniors, veterans, and groups of ten or more. Preview performances on April 10, 11, 17, and 24 are available at half-price ($20). Opening night tickets on April 12 are $50 (including reception). The Los Angeles Theatre Center is located at 514 South Spring Street, Los Angeles, California 90013. For more information via email, click here.