Brittany Bellizeare stands with theatre legends in 'McNeal' on Broadway
This interview is part of our New York Talent Guide series, which spotlights rising and undersung Broadway stars whom theatregoers shouldn't miss on stage.
Don't count Brittany Bellizeare out. Through November 24, she's performing in the new play McNeal, heralded as the Broadway debut of Robert Downey Jr. in the title role. But she's making her Broadway debut, too, and her singular scene proves her mettle alongside the Oscar winner and other "theatre legends" (Bellizeare's enthusiastic words) like Ruthie Ann Miles, Andrea Martin, and Melora Hardin.
Bellizeare plays Natasha, a young, Black journalist assigned to profile Nobel Prize-winning author Jacob McNeal (Downey) for The New York Times. What begins as a personal mission to expose him for misogyny, arrogance, and plagiarism — AI factors heavily into the play — turns into something more surprising: a kind of mutual understanding that both are more than what the other expected.
"He's perfect for the role," Bellizeare said of her co-star. "I really want people to come to McNeal with an open mind, to see someone who is a true artist."
Bellizeare herself was a creative child, but she also had a knack for math and pursued it as an undergrad at Spelman College, with a minor in theatre. But when a graduate-level summer program made her realize a math career wasn't for her, she asked her theatre professors whether she could succeed as an actress. They all said yes.
Now, Bellizeare has been acting in New York for 10 years, becoming an Off-Broadway fixture in recent shows like sandblasted, Flex, and Scarlett Dreams. Still data-minded, she admits it can be hard to "let all the thinking go" when acting and just approach her characters "with [her] heart." But it is fitting that, since Scarlett Dreams also dealt with AI, she's now ended up in two STEM-related plays.
"This show is showcasing something that you have not seen on stage before. We are literally intersecting growing technology with the human art form of storytelling, and it's done in such a beautiful way," Bellizeare said.
Bellizeare spoke with New York Theatre Guide about the intersections between the arts and sciences in her own life, working with Downey, and theatre experiences that have moved her as she hopes McNeal moves audiences at the Vivian Beaumont Theater.
Describe your character.
Natasha Brathwaite is a young, sharp, hip, New York Times journalist and aspiring writer. She sets out to interview this white, cis male, some may call misogynistic, others may call great, author. She believes she has everything she needs to potentially take [him] down.
[Audiences] are waiting for this moment, but I don't know if they know exactly what's to unfold.
What is it like to make your Broadway debut alongside Robert Downey Jr.?
It's so cool to see someone you've admired from a distance, and then you're sitting right across the table from him, and you're like, "Oh, you're real. You are in this process with me."
I learn so much from Robert every night. He's a very present actor, and you can tell because there are moments in which he may switch it up on you. Not drastically, but it's fun to arrive in our scene not necessarily knowing what Robert is going to give me. It keeps you on your toes. He also is a collaborative and warm person in general, so he takes and receives what you give him, too.
How did you approach McNeal when you first got the part?
When I read [my scene] the first time, I was like, "This is going to be really good. I get to take down this white male character who thinks he knows everything and challenge him in a way I don't think he's used to being challenged." When we got to the rehearsal room, I realized this scene was going to take a lot out of me. There were moments where I was very nervous to portray this role. I quickly learned Natasha is probably one of the only people in the show on the same intellectual level as this man. And because he's probably 20-plus years her senior, it's intimidating, especially when you're working with Robert Downey Jr.
I had to do a lot of research because a lot of the stuff Natasha talks about is not something Brittany knows offhand. I consider myself a reader, but I'm not an avid reader of classic American novels, so I had to look up the authors and the books because Natasha comes into that interview knowing exactly what she's talking about. I had to make sure I was portraying someone who was confidently going tit-for-tat in a boxing match with Jacob McNeal. It was challenging at first, but now I've got the hang of it, and it's fun again.
What has the audience response to the play been like?
People love my scene, and they could just be saying that because I'm standing right in front of them. But I do think my scene, especially [when] it comes in the play, is almost a relief. Somebody has finally called him on his ish in a professional manner!
I've also met a few people in the AI sector, and they've had interesting takes on watching that unfold in the play. They thought how we integrated that was very dynamic and very grand. That goes directly to the co-scenic designers and our director for how they aesthetically put everything together.
Do you still use any of the skills from your math degree in theatre?
Because I was reared as a scientific person, I'm super analytical. It's just naturally how I think. That is one of the main things; it really helped me with script analysis and really thinking as the character.
Eventually I have to let it go, which is hard. But I've had really great acting teachers, and they picked up on things like that and always reared me into, "You did all the thinking. Now release it."
Where do you like to see theatre in the city?
I'm an Off-Broadway gal because they're so much more accessible. I love the Public. I love Signature. I used to go to Playwrights [Horizons] a lot. The storylines are a little bit grittier, and I like gritty.
Have you ever had a theatre experience as an audience member that really moved you?
MJ The Musical was an experience. My parents got me a Michael Jackson impersonator for one of my birthday parties — that's how much I loved Michael. So watching that with the original cast was an out-of-body experience.
Also Lady Day [at Emerson's Bar and Grill] on Broadway with Audra McDonald. I literally thought I was watching Billie Holiday. I went with my mom and a couple family friends, and she was trying to ask me about it, and I could not speak.
Sugar in Our Wounds at MTC [Manhattan Theatre Club]; that play made me cry at the end. I also had a hell of a time at the Public's Ain't No Mo' and Fat Ham. Fat Ham was literally like a barbecue, and Ain't No Mo' was like a party. I tend to go to the community nights and Black theatre nights, so the energy in the space [...] is so fun. Your peers are in the audience, watching our peers on stage.
This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity.
Top image credit: Brittany Bellizeare. (Photo courtesy of production)
In-article image credit: Robert Downey Jr. and Brittany Bellizeare in McNeal on Broadway. (Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)
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