Choosing a life of art often comes at a cost to the artist. And when that artist is Black and born in the American South during the Jim Crow era, the costs are harrowing. Yet, many Black American artists persisted in spite of the odds–one of whom was Josephine Baker.
The Rise of Josephine Baker, written by Shani Gray, who also stars in the show, follows the life of Josephine Baker as she ceases a rare opportunity to leave America for a life of showbiz in Paris. Her departure is a desperate escape from America’s racial violence, and still, even in Paris, Baker must negotiate her artistic dreams with other people’s dehumanization of her talent, race, and gender. Gray skillfully portrays how Baker tows the line strategically and psychologically, both with gains and costs.
Jordi M. Carter directs this compact and dynamic 60-minute show, which was a part of the Bitesize Festival at Riverside Studios. Carter’s direction seamlessly stretches across both worlds of New York and Paris, deftly portraying Baker’s intimate and public moments fraught with racialized tensions.
The ensemble has wonderful chemistry. Shani Gray exudes a charming, bubbly optimism as Josephine Baker. Philip Bayntun’s sharp physical comedy is a delightful highlight of the show. Robert De Domenici is fantastic as the suave, slick, and petulant Pepito Abatino, and Christoph L. Dorocant’s Paul Colin shines as the quintessential brooding artist searching for his voice with Josephine as his muse and unlikely friend.
Sometimes the writing fell just under the pitch of the story’s emotional stakes and left me wanting even more of Baker’s past haunting the present. It seemed as though the production was too compressed to bear the story’s full emotional weight. This shortcoming might have more to do with Bitesize festival’s mandatory 60-minute-and-under shows, but the play still succeeds in its compressed execution.
The Rise of Josephine Baker is an engaging and thought-provoking show with a long and dazzling life ahead.
NEED TO KNOW: The Rise of Josephine Baker was part of Riverside (Bitesize) from 25-29 Sep 2026 | See listing
