This Bitter Earth has quickly become one of our most anticipated LGBTQIA+ stories of the year.
The upcoming play, marking Billy Porter’s UK directorial debut, stars Alexander Lincoln and Omari Douglas as Neal and Jesse, with the story exploring the “personal and political struggles” of their interracial romance. As per the synopsis, the duo will “confront issues of identity, history, and societal change in a racially charged environment.”
Douglas memorably rose to fame as Roscoe Babatunde in Russell T. Davies’ lauded Channel 4 drama It’s A Sin (2021), for which he received a British Academy Television Award nomination. Last year, he played Michael in Netflix’s breakout spy thriller Black Doves.
Lincoln received praise for his performance as Mark in the 2022 film In From The Side (2021), which follows two rugby players as they attempt to conceal their affair. He’s also set to star in the upcoming gay romance A Night Like This, which had its BFI debut in March.
In a behind-the-scenes video, the duo share an intimate moment as they pose for promotional photos in front of Porter, followed by the cast and crew discussing the importance of the play’s themes.
Douglas said he’s “looking forward to seeing how people respond to the nuances of” how Neal and Jesse “navigate an existing interracial relationship against the backdrop of 21st century America,” while Lincoln hopes audiences “sit and listen and understand, but also see what the crux of some of the societal elements are”.
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Porter gave some additional insight into This Bitter Earth’s themes, explaining that it “asks tough questions about race”, particularly in the context of two gay men in an interracial relationship: “The conversations that people are too afraid to have, this play addresses in ways that I just found so profound and so necessary.”
Describing it as a “deeply personal” story for him, writer Harrison David Rivers said he resonates “most” with the love between the two characters: “The work of love, the work of showing up for each other, I think is really beautiful.”
This Bitter Earth will feature set and costume design by Morgan Large, sound design by Julian Starr, original composition by Sean Green and production management by Toby Darvill.
Performances are scheduled to kick off on 18 June at the Soho Theatre and end on 26 July. Visit here for ticket information.
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