A Haitian-American actor is playing a lead character in the premiere of a new production debuting at The Bridge Theater on Jan. 16. Brooklyn raised actor, Nixon Cesar, plays a soldier back home, and fresh from a tour in Iraq in “Master of the Crossroads.”
The play follows his character Cornbread, who returns to find out that his wife has given birth to his child, while also suffering with a bout of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But with a looming feeling that the child may not be his, and actually his twin brothers — a tale of deception and family drama ensues, said Cesar.
“Although the rumor is based on suspicion and not fact, he feels like he is losing his family and is unsure how to feel about this illegitimate child that he’s been told is his, but knows for sure isn’t,” he said.
But the infidelity plot is only part of the play’s main theme of approaching mental illness. Cesar, a graduate of Brooklyn College, says its a very eye-opening look on how it can affect an everyday family, and explores how mental disorders can further trigger other issues for certain men of color.