The group of Harlem Renaissance actors and artists return to Moscow moving from the Grand Hotel to a small hostel. Henry Lee Moon tells Langston Hughes that he thinks the film has been sabotaged by Americans. In a heartfelt moment, Louise Thompson speaks to Dorothy West and Mildred Jones about another woman on the trip who is heartbroken over a breakup and attempts to take her own life. The three women discuss the freedoms, or lack thereof, for women at this time, each coming to their own conclusion about what the future holds for them as single women. Mildred entertains a Russian man while Langston is seen with Soviet Sweetheart, Sylvie Chen, leaving Dorothy feeling more alone and uncertain about her future than ever.
Cast
J Ivy As Langston Hughes
Evan Frazier As Dorothy West
Kyla Lacey As Helene Johnson
Nancy Gilliam As Rachel West
Susaye Lawson As Louise Thompson
Breanna Cosette As Mildred Jones
Broderick Clavery As Henry Lee and James The Translator
Harlem And Moscow Written By Alle Mims
Directed By Ares Harper And Regina Griffin
Producer And Sound Designer Sam Riddell
Audio Engineers Aaron Reppert And Carey Durham
Music By Transitions
Full Transcript Below:
Announcer: You are now listening to theGrio’s Black Podcast Network, Black Culture Amplified.
Narrator: Hello, you’re listening to Harlem and Moscow, an original audio play presented by the Griot Black Podcast Network. Harlem and Moscow is a six episode drama with three additional companion podcasts. Harlem and Moscow, Red Flags.
Harlem and Moscow is based on a true story. Episode 5, Russian Reckoning, stars Jay Ivey as Langston Hughes. Evan Frazier as Dorothy West and features Kyla Lacy, Nancy Gilliam, and Brianna Cosette. I am your narrator, commenter, and ultimate guide, Jared Alexander. Last time on Harlem in Moscow. Dorothy West continued sharing tales from her year abroad in the Soviet Union with her mother, skipping the more salacious details.
Dorothy explores Moscow with her now roommate, Mildred Jones. Who pushes the shy young woman out of her comfort zone while they wait for rehearsals of the film to start. When their director is ready to start rehearsal, he is disappointed that the actors do not live up to his racist expectations. Dorothy is disappointed in his ignorance.
However, the others don’t spend as much time questioning the production because the Soviets
After a boozy champagne confession from Langston Hughes, Dorothy learns that this less than subpar script may be to blame for all their leisure time. While Dorothy becomes closer with Langston, Mildred meets a man of her own, Boris, a Russian sergeant who spares no expense to take her out. Shockingly, Dorothy finds herself jealous of Mildred’s newfound beau.
Later, news from home alerts Dorothy that her father has passed away, and the only person she wants to see is Mildred, who is all too happy to oblige. The group is sent on a surprise cruise! That they later learn was a distraction, as news breaks that their film has been cancelled. The story of Harlem and Moscow continues with the group stranded in Moscow, unsure of what comes next.
Dorothy West: There you are, cousin. All buttoned up. You can’t even tell I didn’t have the right color thread. Promise me you’ll come by after dinner, if it isn’t too late.
Helene Johnson: Of course. I need to hear this proposal story.
Dorothy West: If I can tell, mother, I can certainly tell you. Assuming she doesn’t throw me out afterwards.
Helene Johnson: Don’t be so dramatic.
She’s been counting down the days until your return. I’m surprised she didn’t chain you to the dining room table as soon as you got here.
Rachel West: Alright, I got my house clothes on. No more visitors tonight.
Dorothy West: Yes, ma’am.
Helene Johnson: So, how do I look?
Like a proper lady.
Rachel West: And if he doesn’t beg to wed you on the spot, get a new man.
Helene Johnson: Thank you. And thank you, Dottie. I promise to be extra careful taking it off next time.
Rachel West: It better not be coming off until that boy is locked in
a different room.
Helene Johnson: I’ll wear it until the wedding day, no matter how smelly it gets. Dottie, we’ll talk soon, yes? Good night. I’ll give my mother your love.
Rachel West: Good night, dear.
Dorothy West: It’s getting late. Shouldn’t we have dinner?
Rachel West: The only thing I’m hungry for is the rest of the story. You’ve already told me
much and more that you left out of the letters. Especially about a certain gentleman I expect has proposed. Tell me now, so I can order the champagne.
Dorothy West: We might need something a little stronger.
I will get to that part, but first we have to get back to Moscow. We finished out our sad holiday on the beach before getting on a train. Once we arrived We were informed that we had been moved from the Grand Hotel to a hostel. I never told you because I didn’t want you to worry. The first night, I was sitting with Lang in the common room.
Langston Hughes: Rober Jayland He’s always called himself a journalist, but he’s a crook. You know, he was here, in Moscow. Not two weeks past. He saw how we were all living. And yes, I may have mentioned that the script needed work, but that’s no reason to assume the film was postponed due to gross incompetence on the part of the Soviets.
According to him, we were kicked out onto the streets with barely a ruble to our names. I, for one, enjoy our new living arrangements. We are right across from the Kremlin. See it? There, through the window.
Dorothy West: Yes, I What was that?
Langston Hughes: Target practice. What other lies can we find in this so called newspaper?
Dorothy West: Oh, my mother is probably tearing her hair out right now.
I only hope she gets my letter before she tries to send the National Guard.
Langston Hughes: We’re way outside their jurisdiction, kid.
Dorothy West: This would have been my first film. Now I worry it was my last chance. I’m not getting any younger, no matter how many times you call me kid.
Langston Hughes: There’s still so much to see in this country.
And I’m sure you’ve never been paid this handsomely to run around Moscow and look pretty. There’s the smile I was hoping for. This is not the end for you. It’s the beginning.
Dorothy West: Oh, here comes Henry Lee. Oh, he’s got his serious face on.
Henry Lee Moon: Hey, Lang. Dot. Um, can I speak with you, Langston? There’s something Ted and I have been discussing with a couple of the others.
Dorothy West: I’ll leave you two.
Langston Hughes: No, stay. I have a feeling I might need a witness.
Henry Lee Moon: Huh, alright. You’ll hear it soon enough anyway. I understand that Meschrapabom guy came to Odessa and told us the reason for cancelling
Langston Hughes: Postponing.
Henry Lee Moon: Sure. He said the reason was the subpar script and the winter weather. But we, Ted and I, have another theory.
A couple of weeks ago, we was at the Metropole bar. We were having a drink when this man approached. He thought he was trying to talk us up at first.
Langston Hughes: Two good looking fellas.
Dorothy West: I’ve seen far more unusual things in Moscow.
Henry Lee Moon: Turns out he wanted to talk about the film. He asked about you and Louise by name and wanted to know what you were doing with your free time.
After we told him to get lost or go find you to ask for himself, That’s when he made his offer. He tried to pay us to leave the film. He told us the project was doomed and that we had best get out now with our reputation still intact.
Langston Hughes: Did you take the money?
Henry Lee Moon: Of course not!
Langston Hughes: Damn, we could’ve split it.
Inflation is only getting worse.
Henry Lee Moon: He knew everything. He even knew I was sending back articles for the Amsterdam. We think this man had something to do with the cancellation.
Langston Hughes: He sounds like a grumpy capitalist with too much time for reading expat papers and too much money burning a hole in his pocket.
Henry Lee Moon: He was wearing a U. S. military uniform. Introduced himself as Colonel Robbins here on unofficial business.
Langston Hughes: Shit! Excuse my language, Dorothy. In uniform. He approached you in uniform.
Henry Lee Moon: Yes!
Langston Hughes: The nerve of these pigs. Have you told Louise about this? She’s preparing for our next meeting with Meschcrapbom. They’re on their way to explain our options for going home, or continuing the tour, and reiterate the reasons for postponement.
Henry Lee Moon: Canceled! The film has been cancelled! Why can’t you
say it?
Langston Hughes: I won’t say it because messaging matters. If the film was cancelled, all of this meant nothing. It was an impossible dream that was never going to happen. Cancellation means the Soviets have given up on us and all darker skinned people everywhere.
Postponement means hope. Not just for the film, but for the revolution. It means not today, but maybe tomorrow. So no, I would not say it has been cancelled because that means progress has been cancelled too. There’s still work to do. That work has not been cancelled.
Henry Lee Moon: We won’t go along with this. Me or Ted.
That colonel came to us on orders. We refused him. Next thing we know, the film is cancelled. Cancelled. Lang. We won’t stand by and let them lie to us. If the revolution is dead, I want those who killed it to be held responsible. We’re prepared to go on record. We’ve already typed up a statement.
Langston Hughes: Of course you did.
Uh huh. Well, I better warn Louise about whatever stunt you’re going to pull so it doesn’t give her a heart attack. Excuse me.
Dorothy West: Henry Lee, wait. You’re not going to do anything stupid, are you? I want us all to be friends by the time we get back to Harlem.
Henry Lee Moon: That all depends on your friend, Langston, and how much bootlicking he’s willing to do to get himself out of this.
Dorothy West: He’s working for all of us to protect our reputations. They’re spreading lies about us in the newspaper.
Henry Lee Moon: Oh, it’s more than that. You must have seen the fear in his face just now. He’s been saying for years that the military was tracking him and Louise. Now he has proof. The Soviets gave him up. He’s trying to save face just long enough to haul out of here.
Dorothy West: The soviets have been good to us.
Henry Lee Moon: All their words were nothing but hot air. It was a facade to hide the fact that they have nothing to offer. The money they gave us was stolen from the territories that are being starved out of the grain they produce. The jails are filling up with people who place a toe out of line.
They’re burning every church in the country. All stuff Langston has begged me not to write about, by the way.
Dorothy West: You’re going too fast. Slow down.
Henry Lee Moon: Oh, if I slow down, I’ll turn into Langston. And next thing you know, it’ll be, Yes, comrade, whatever you say, comrade, Which way to the gula, comrade? Let’s face it, aside from Langston and Louise, And maybe a few others, we, we aren’t revolutionaries.
We’re just brains who have read some books And have some sympathy. The only thing all the people on this trip have in common is that we can afford to pay our way here. Not exactly communist material.
Dorothy West: So that’s it? You were so excited for this and now you’re leaving. After you took such a liking to this country and it’s women.
Henry Lee Moon: There is nothing an ofay can do for me in Russia or anywhere. The only people who are going to make a difference in the lives of Negroes is us. Soviets did a fine job of reminding me that. Oh! You’ll be happy to know that I have one more date before leaving Moscow.
Dorothy West: Why would that make me happy?
Henry Lee Moon: Because it’s with the most beautiful brown skinned American girl. I’ve got to go back to Teddy and the rest. I’ll see you at the meeting, Dot.
Dorothy West: Henry Lee and all the rest did exactly as they promised. He and his small group accused Mescshrapbom the Soviets, and the Communist Party with sabotage of the revolution.
When they stood up to give their statement, I stayed seated with all the rest. Henry Lee was right about the fear in Langston, but his fear only made me more concerned. I tried to explain how I was feeling to Mil, but she seemed less interested in the politics of it all. She said her relationship with that old Russian man Boris protected her, and maybe it did.
I thought about coming home right away in August, right after the cancellation, but Mil came down with a cough. It was my turn to take care of her. You promised me you wouldn’t smoke anymore with that old man. I can’t stand when you come home smelling like tobacco. It will never come out of that velvet dress.
Mildred Jones: I smoked one cigar.
Dorothy West: It’s probably Lang again. Come in! Louise! Mildred isn’t well. I was just feeling for a fever.
Louise Thompson: I heard she had a bit of a cough. Do you mind if I come in?
Mildred Jones: Do you have any cigarettes? Only joking, Dot.
Dorothy West: I was just making tea with milk. Would you like some, Louise?
Louise Thompson: Milk in your tea? You both have truly adopted Russia into your hearts.
Dorothy West: No, just in our stomachs. I served them their tea, and after the appropriate pleasantries, Louise started in on what she wanted to share.
Louise Thompson: I’ll cut right to it. There was an incident last night involving one of the other women. I don’t feel it’s my place to say exactly who
Mildred Jones: There are only so many of us on this trip.
No doubt we’ll figure it out.
Louise Thompson: If you do, it won’t be because I told you. This woman, she took a drink from a bottle thinking it was wine. Turns out it was formaldehyde. The doctor said she’ll be just fine aside from a sore throat. She claims it was an accident. But in truth, she had been having problems with a man in our group.
Whose name I Mildred, so don’t ask. It seems she gave him an ultimatum. Me. Or the Russian girl. You can guess who he chose.
Mildred Jones: She should have gone out and got a Russian man of her own.
Dorothy West: Mil!
Louise Thompson: She did. She was out every night, stomping the dance floor with anyone and everyone. Then she realized it had been five weeks since she menstruated, and as much dancing as she did, She was certain that a baby could only belong to one man.
That’s when she begins to panic. She called on me a few days ago, and she asked me if there were any doctors nearby that could remedy her situation.
Mildred Jones: And she was willing to do that? Alone? In a foreign country?
Louise Thompson: If she would have waited for the money exchange or the next ship home, she might have been too late.
Assuming she could find someone willing to do it in America.
Dorothy West: There was no need to panic. She would have at least eight months.
Louise Thompson: She wasn’t looking for a doctor for delivery. She wanted me to take her to Have the operation? Don’t make me spell it out for you, kid.
Mildred Jones: She was never planning on having the child.
Dorothy West: No! No, no, no, no, no. That would be illegal.
Louise Thompson: Thankfully, it wasn’t necessary. The shock of almost dying must have triggered something inside her. Because an hour later, she was bleeding and blubbering. I’m sure she feels ridiculous. There’s no need to tell the men. It will only embarrass her further.
Dorothy West: After all your talk about following rules and making sure we protect our reputations, you could have been thrown in jail for helping her!
Louise Thompson: Not in the Soviet Union. Abortion has been legal here since the revolution. You don’t need husband’s permission or any reason other than not wanting to be pregnant.
Dorothy West: But to not even tell the father? To not even give him a chance to do right by her.
Louise Thompson: He had his chance with her. Why would his answer be any different the second time?
If by some miracle he did change his mind, what if it changes again? It’s easier to get a divorce here in the Soviet Union than in New York. Trust me.
Mildred Jones: It was even worse in Virginia.
Louise Thompson: I never asked. How did you get a judge to grant your divorce?
Mildred Jones: Luckily, my husband was foolish enough to get his mistress pregnant.
Unmistakable proof of adultery. He only escaped a sentence by promising to marry the poor girl.
Louise Thompson: I was able to get an annulment myself. Wally only touched me once or twice, and he was too drunk to make anything of it, I could see the relief when I asked for the divorce. Although he likes to tell anyone who will listen that I forced him to end it.
In truth, the only thing I’m guilty of is forcing him into marriage.
Dorothy West: I thought you two loved each other.
Louise Thompson: Of course we did. I wouldn’t have been able to stand the thought of having his child if I didn’t. But I knew that what I wanted and what he wanted only overlapped. So much the people you have the strongest feelings for are rarely the ones you end up marrying.
The timing is never right
Mildred Jones: Or the money
Dorothy West: You both make. Marriage sound so practical and void of romance. If that’s how I felt, I would never be married.
Louise Thompson: Don’t mistake me, I have no regrets. A woman who was married and divorced has more freedom than a woman who’s never been married. The party would have never trusted me with this position as a single woman.
Mildred Jones: They treat us like paper dolls when we’re single, but the second we’re divorced? No need to protect spoiled
goods.
Louise Thompson: I had better go tell the other women before any rumors start. Before I leave, we’ve reached the point where we must decide our next steps. Several of us have already bought their return trip ticket to Harlem.
I’m sure you can guess. Others, myself and Lang included, are going on one last trip. In five days we leave for Turkmenistan in the southeastern part of the country. We’ll only be there for a few days and then we’re back and prepared to leave for good.
Dorothy West: What if Mil is still sick? Maybe we shouldn’t go.
Louise Thompson: You might want to. Don’t mention this outside of your room. But from there, Lang is leaving for Japan. He’s not coming back to Moscow.
Dorothy West: Is he really that afraid? Is it safe for us to stay in the city at all?
Louise Thompson: The Americans are far too concerned with what Langston is cooking up in the east to worry about what his secretary and her lady friends are up to.
We’ll be fine. Put you both down for train tickets to Turkmenistan?
Dorothy West: Yes. Thank you, Louise.
Mildred Jones: And thank you for stopping by. I hope the woman, whoever she is, Has someone to look after her.
Louise Thompson: Keeping the men in the dark means we only have each other. Feel better, Mildred. Goodbye, Dot.
Dorothy West: Poor woman.
Mildred Jones: That poor child! It was hardly a child.
There’s food in your icebox older than whatever might have been growing in there.
Dorothy West: There is so much death every day all around us. I would look at something like that like a miracle, no matter the circumstance.
Mildred Jones: It’s easy to say that sitting where you are. I
Dorothy West: do plan to have children one day.
Mildred Jones: I hope that plan works out for you.
But in the off chance that it doesn’t, it would be nice to live in a place that allows for other
options.
Dorothy West: All right, then if she was so resigned to it, why bother with formaldehyde?
Mildred Jones: Just because a woman is free to make a decision doesn’t mean she’s not allowed to grieve the consequences of it.
Dorothy West: How can you be so matter of fact about this?
Mildred Jones: Once I figured out my husband was having an affair, I started to take precautions. Who knows if any of them were necessary, but I never got pregnant. I knew it would be easier to get remarried without a child, and I was willing to do anything to be sure.
Dorothy West: I didn’t realize you were planning to get remarried.
Mildred Jones: I could get married in Moscow. I’m only joking. A bit. I was going to tell you, it never seemed like the right time. Boris proposed.
Dorothy West: How? With grunts and gestures?
Mildred Jones: And a large ring. Look. Isn’t it beautiful? I think I might wear it the next time we go out. Don’t look so sour. I’m not seriously entertaining him.
But, you must have known I would plan on getting remarried. I assumed you would find a husband
too.
Dorothy West: God knows that’s what my mother wants. But it would never be a white man.
Mildred Jones: You can’t tell me you don’t see a difference between marrying a white man from the South and marrying this white man from
Russia.
Dorothy West: He only wants to marry you because you’re beautiful. Someone who is that different from you could never fully understand you. All the little moments of pain and joy you experience walking through the world as you. How can I expect anyone other than another Negro woman to understand?
Mildred Jones: What would you
have me do?
It’s not like I can marry you. Dot, it’s you who doesn’t understand. Marriage isn’t necessary for you in the way that it is for me. I know your mother wants you to marry, but your family owns your home. They own a couple, to hear you say it. You’ve always seen marriage as a union of love. For me, it’s an opportunity.
I want my own home. And a car. And a place to paint. I need someone to provide for me. Do you understand?
I’m used to you going quiet around other people. You can talk to me,
please.
Dorothy West: I’m thinking about my future and yours. I need to take a walk.
Mildred Jones: Alone?
Dorothy West: I’ll be alright. I know my way around.
Mildred Jones: You are coming back.
Dorothy West: Of course I’ll be back, Mil. I walked and walked until the sight of that ring on Mil’s finger faded from my mind.
By the time I got back, Mil was asleep. She didn’t bring up Boris or his ring again. We had one last group outing that week before heading east. We were invited to a night at the theatre. Our director, Junghans, had already left for Germany, but his translator, James, stayed behind. It was he who acted as our guide that night.
James the Translator: In English, the play is called All God’s Chillin’ Got Wings by Eugene O’Neill. Oddly enough, they have changed their title to be Negra or Negro. That’s the Russians for you.
Dorothy West: The play was about an interracial marriage between a Negro and a white woman. I was hoping to see Lang. I still hadn’t spoken to him since the postponement was made official.
He was there. But he brought along a date.
Langston Hughes: Please allow me to introduce comrade Sylvie Chen. She is a dancer touring the Soviet Union as well, on her way back to China.
Dorothy West: Half Chinese, half Caribbean. She looked like a Negro, but had straight flowing hair. She spoke English, Chinese, Russian. He had certainly succeeded in finding the most exotic woman to drape on his arm.
The two of them sat in their own box with a few men who looked very official. Lang drank and laughed a little bit too much. He made toast after toast. I can still hear him raising his glass.
Langston Hughes: To the revolution!
Louise Thompson: The revolution!
Dorothy West: The whole thing felt like a performance. But the real show began, and I eventually had to turn my head to the stage.
Instead of Negro, they should have called the show Minstrel. The lead character was played by a Russian in blackface.
James the Translator: What a shame. There aren’t many genuine Negroes in the Moscow Theatre.
Dorothy West: After each scene, James would lean over and give small summaries of the show to those of us who were unfamiliar.
After a particularly rowdy act end, we were all curious to know what had just happened.
James the Translator: The Negro tells his white wife that they should go overseas where a man can be a man without the subject of race. He suggested the Soviet Union, hence the applause. Although, in the original, it was
France.
Dorothy West: She doesn’t seem to love him, not truly.
James the Translator: Are you talking about the woman in the play, or the woman over there with Langston
Hughes?
Dorothy West: What happens to the couple in the play?
James the Translator: If I’m remembering correctly, in the second act, they return to America, realizing that going overseas won’t solve the problems in their marriage. From there, their relationship only gets worse.
It seems Mr. Hughes would like to make another toast.
Langston Hughes: Comrades. We should end the play now. There cannot be a happier ending than a young couple moving to the Soviet Union.
Dorothy West: The few men who understood English, or at least pretended to, cheered along with him. Even Sylvie Chen cheered in Russian to show off!
The curtain rose and the crowd eventually gave their attention once again to the stage. By the end of the play, the white woman had devolved to calling her husband horrible names that we did not need a translator for. After the show, we all started back to the hotel, but Lang turned another direction with Sylvie Chen.
Langston! I ran after him and pulled him away as gracefully as I could.
Langston Hughes: No need to shout, Dot. I’m right here.
Dorothy West: And I’m right here, in case you missed me behind your date’s good hair.
Langston Hughes: I said hello to you. I introduced you to Sylvie.
Dorothy West: Please don’t treat me like I’m a child. I know what’s going on. Henry Lee told me why you’re scared.
Langston Hughes: Well, if Henry Lee said it, it must be true. He doesn’t know anything about what’s going on. Neither do you or any of the other kids. We shouldn’t even be talking here. This goes far deeper and will last far longer than a study abroad.
Dorothy West: This was more than a study abroad for me. I believed in this project.
Did any of this matter to you?
Langston Hughes: A film was ruined. A trip cut short. So what? We don’t need this film, but we do need the Soviets.
Dorothy West: Is this why you’re with comrade Sylvie Chen? The Soviets, darling! I will never understand Negro men’s obsession with exotic women.
Langston Hughes: The revolution involves all oppressed people.
Yes, Sylvie. I’ll be right there.
Dorothy West: I was hoping we could speak, just the two of us. I had a conversation with Mil, and I’m feeling so
Langston Hughes: I must go, Dorothy. Sylvie is waiting. We’ll talk with her minister. Alright? I promise.
Narrator: Next time, on Harlem in Moscow, the exciting final chapter. Episode 6, Return Home to Harlem.
Mildred Jones: Here we are, our train out of Russia and into the unforgiving real world.
Louise Thompson: Sorry, kid. Lang already left for Japan with Sylvie Chen in tow.
Rachel West: I entertained this fantasy, but it’s time you get serious!
Dorothy West: No! Give it back now!
Mildred Jones: Lang asked about you. He told me to give you his love.
Dorothy West: I received my envelope, and when I opened it, the money was in dollars. American dollars.
Mildred Jones: How much?
Louise Thompson: This reeks of desperation.
Dorothy West: It’s private and And it’s true.
Mildred Jones: I’m only telling you this so you’re not left abandoned.
Louise Thompson: You’re not a kid anymore, kid. Time to decide what your life will be.
Narrator: Thank you for listening to Harlem and Moscow. An original audio play presented by the Griot Black Podcast Network. Harlem in Moscow was written by Alle Mims and directed by Aries Harper and Regina Griffin. Sam Riddell is the producer and sound designer. Our audio engineers are Aaron Reppert and Carey Durham.
With music by Transitions. We’d like to thank our amazing cast. J. Ivy as Langston Hughes. Evan Frazier as Dorothy West, Kyla Lacey as Helen Johnson, Nancy Gilliam as Rachel West, Susaye Lawson as Louise Thompson, Brianna Cosette as Mildred Jones. And Broderick Clavery who plays the roles of Henry Lee and James the Translator.
Don’t miss the exciting final chapter of Harlem and Moscow, episode 6, Return Home to Harlem. If you want to learn more about the real people and the real events, check out our companion podcasts, Harlem and Moscow: Red Flags. Harlem and Moscow is such a powerful story that few people know about. Please rate, review, share.
And tell a friend about this important adventure in black history.
