Timelines of Infidelity: A Synopsis of Billie and Othello’s Tragedy
Act 1
Harlem, 1928
Billie and Othello discuss his infidelity with an unnamed white woman.
Harlem, Present: The Breakup
Billie lives in a walk-up at the intersection of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Boulevard in Harlem, NY. She is emotionally and intellectually broken because her husband, Othello, has left her for a white colleague named Mona. Billie is supported by her landlady, Magi, and by Amah, her sister-in-law (her brother Andrew’s wife), while she writes and lives as a shut-in.
Southern US, 1860: The Wooing
Othello, here a slave and blacksmith, woos Billie by gifting her his mother’s handkerchief.
Harlem, Present: Othello’s Visit
Billie is experimenting with chemical tonics and warns Amah that they are deadly if ingested. She ignores the ringing phone, believing it to be Othello; Amah suggests it may be Billie’s estranged father, Canada. Othello finally arrives with Mona (who is never seen on stage) to retrieve his things. He and Billie begin to divide their books and dive into a conversation on race relations and how cultural pressures impacted their marriage. Eventually, Othello kisses Billie and they make love. Afterwards, he brushes her off and lies to Mona in front of her.
Betrayal in the South (1860)
Othello tells Billie that he will not flee to Canada with her because he has fallen in love with his white mistress, ‘Miss Dessy’.
The Engagement and Moving Out (Present)
Billie prepares to move out of the apartment she shared with Othello. He returns with her pot, and with news: he is reneging on his promise to pay for one of her graduate school courses, and he and Mona are engaged. He attempts to defend himself by saying that being with white women is easier.
Harlem, 1928: The Murder
Othello is dead on the floor, holding his handkerchief. Billie stands over him with a bloody straight razor.
Harlem, Present: Canada’s Arrival
Billie concocts a potion and pours it over Othello’s handkerchief, but before she can enact her plan, Magi interrupts with news of a visitor. It is Billie’s long-absent father, Canada.
Act 2
Harlem, Present: Reconciliation Attempts
Billie takes tea with Canada, who is eager to reunite with her. He presents her with her mother’s ring and tries to make plans to visit again, but she is uncertain. The next day, Othello is back and Billie tells him she wants to return his handkerchief (the one given to the earlier Billie in 1860), but that she needs a few days to ‘find’ it.
Southern US, 1860: The Lynching
Othello is lynched by hanging. Billie tells a story of a Black man who wished to be white to his body.
Harlem, Present: The Poisoned Handkerchief
Billie prepares the poisoned handkerchief and places it in a red box for Othello. In the process, she stains her hands with the solution and panics. She becomes violently ill (or possibly high), and Canada and Magi have an awkward conversation as they wait for her to recover. She finally emerges, and reconciles with Canada as he holds her and apologizes for being absent for so long.
Harlem, 1928: The Second Murder
Othello and Billie sit in a dressing room as Billie shaves him. He claims he will never wear Blackface on stage, and says he is of Ira Aldridge stock, a great Black actor. Then he reveals that his white lover Mona is giving him the opportunity to play *Pericles, Prince of Tyre*. Billie cuts his throat with the razor.
Harlem, Present: Magi’s Warning and Fantasy
Billie confesses to Magi that she plans to give Othello the poisoned handkerchief, but Magi argues that if African magic worked, the masters of slaves in the 1800s would have died a thousand times over. Billie is sick with anger and half-starved. She fantasizes (or remembers) seeing the apartment for the first time with Othello. They jump over a broom together, a traditional ceremony of marriage, and the memory dissipates. Magi takes Billie into the kitchen to feed her.
Othello Retrieves the Box
Later, Canada is cleaning the kitchen and encounters Othello, looking for the promised handkerchief. Othello sees the red box Billie prepared before her breakdown and takes it, telling Canada to say goodbye to Billie as she is absent.
Harlem, 1928: The Transformation
Othello is alone in a dressing room, dressing in tails and a top hat. He practices Othello’s speech to Desdemona’s father while applying black greasepaint; by the end of the speech he is in full Blackface.
Harlem, Present: Conclusion
Billie sings — she is in the psychiatric ward of Harlem Hospital where she is cared for by white doctors. Amah visits her. Canada enters and promises that he will not leave Billie alone again. Billie and Canada sing Aretha Franklin’s version of *Spanish Harlem* together as the lights go down.