The play, which grapples with faith (to say the least), completely destroyed me. I’m Catholic by virtue of my Filipino heritage, which is to say not by choice and not much at all these days. Still, it destroyed me in a cafe on an island in the Philippines dominated by Catholicism, where theater chatter about a play that queers a Bible story is far from a comfortable topic of conversation. I wondered how others felt about this story—the non-religious, the very religious, the in between, and the ones performing it for them. 

Ahead of the play’s highly-anticipated return to the stage, I spoke with Donovan Louis Bazemore who joins its New York run as Kevin, the nephew of Cooper’s Keyshawn. Bazemore is the youngest member of the cast and a freshman at LaGuardia High School, though you wouldn’t know it by looking at his credits. At just 14 years old, he’s earned quite a few hyphenates through roles both on stage and on screen.

He filled me in on how the reality-bending Bible story translated to the stage, how the artists forged a new language from an ancient text, and how beneath its damning and devotional twists and turns is a message for everyone. 

RM: What was your initial reaction to reading the script and finding out the role you’d be playing in this story?

DLB: I’m in love with the story of Noah’s Ark. And this is such a unique take on Noah’s Ark through a different lens and perspective. It’s a story about healing and trauma. I love the character of Kevin because Kevin’s innocence pulls the family together and pulls this play together. 

RM: Your character is really interesting because you get to portray this child-like innocence as well as a powerful, all-knowing God figure. What is it like stepping into that role? How is it different from other roles you’ve had in the past?

DLB: Most of the shows that I've done, there have been other children. As the only kid, it’s a very unique character because in the show, all of the adults are arguing all the time. And Kevin himself is kind of just there in the background, but he's also trying to hold his family together. And as God, he's trying to hold Keyshawn together. So all of Keyshawn's family members are God at some point in time, and they all have their different versions of God. Kevin's version of God is innocence. I think that’s important because it reminds Keyshawn of that childlike glow that he had when he was Kevin's age.

RM: There’s so much I miss out on from reading the script alone. Can you tell me about how those different versions of God come out on stage?

DLB: So my God is more like a lion. There are times where I would jump and sprint across and touch Keyshawn's chest. There's another character Niecy, Keyshawn's sister, and her God is more of a wise, old soul-ish, Pentecostal preacher. She's always running around, jumping, dancing everywhere. But she also has these serious moments. I want to say Niecy's God is more bird-ish, like either a seagull or a flamingo. And I think that the Dad, Lewis' God, is more like a bear. Lewis’ God is sweet. He's funny. Lewis’ God is this big being of love and I think that's kind of what bears are, if they're not dangerous. 

RM: So we do have the animals from Noah's Ark! How clever. Has working on this production changed the way you see things or interact with the world?

DLB: I think that being able to see Keyshawn's story and how he tries to heal helps me understand that people make things up about God. In the story, Keyshawn's father, Lewis, thinks that God doesn't love Keyshawn because Keyshawn is gay. And I think that the story really helps us understand that God is not this big giant thing of either love or hate towards one group or another. God is the being that God is. And I think the show helps me understand that he's always with us. And that no matter what you’re going through, you can't let anybody tell you what's going to happen to you. It’s your journey. It’s helped me understand what it takes for a person to be happy. 

RM: Despite the religious roots of this story, I think the messages are so resonant, no matter what you believe in. With all the division and violence in the U.S. and and in the world, why do you think this story is so important right now?

DLB: I think that the story teaches people how to accept people for who they are. You don't know what happened to them as a child or a couple days ago. You don't know what they've been through. I think that the story teaches us to be kind to people and to accept people for who they are and as they are.

RM: What stories are you hoping to help tell in the future?

DLB: I really want to do more shows about acceptance, community, and love—those really, really stand out to me because I feel everybody should have those things in their life. Being able to push those kinds of stories into the world is so special. What I feel doing this show specifically is something that I've never really had before. I want to do more shows like OH HAPPY DAY! 

RM: What is it about this show that you’ve never had before and that you hope to find more of?

DLB: I think it's the support and love that we all have for each other and being able to tell a story not just to the audience but to and for each other. Being able to be vulnerable and share our own experiences in these spaces and then being able to do that on a stage in front of hundreds to thousands of people is such a surreal experience. Being around people you love and people who support you and who will come out to see you in another show and just hang out with you—being in those kinds of communities is rare. I think we should all have it. I'm so glad to be able to have that experience here.

While some parts of the Bible may put people at odds — it’s clear Cooper’s rendition is bringing people together. 

In October, Cooper attended the “Black Theater Advance” where he gave a keynote address and was asked about the future of theater. He said, “film every single thing that ever touches the stage and allow that to be accessible at the click of a button.”

Until that day comes, I urge everyone to go see it for me.