Platanos Y Collard Greens is a long-running off-Broadway play that has captivated audiences for over nine years. Its playwrights and producers David and Jamillah Lamb took a little time off from their busy schedule to discuss with me how they balance marriage and working together, which includes writing a new book, Perfect Combination ““ Seven Key Ingredients to Happily Living and Loving Together. But seeing as the eyes of the basketball world are fixated on New York right now I couldn’t help but get their opinions on senlinsation, Jeremy Lin.
How has working together affected your relationship?:
[Jamillah]: I think we’ve learned so much about working with people, that we’ve been forced(in a way) to learn about ourselves and work on areas in our lives that need improvement. Doing that has helped our relationship become stronger.
[David]: Working together; there’s no place to hide your warts. That has fueled us to want to be better individually so that we could give more love and support to each other. It’s helped us be each other’s biggest cheerleader, which is something we’re trying to import to compliment the book; that you have to each other’s biggest cheerleader and supporter.
On the other hand, what things do you take from your marriage and incorporate in to your work atmosphere?
[D]: Well, (in) Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People he says “human beings crave appreciation but really rarely get it.” Well in marriage if you’re not giving your partner appreciation, they’re going to let you know. In learning that we have to give each other appreciation, it’s made me more sensitive to the fact that we have to give the people we’re working for a sense of appreciation.
[J]: Some other things are, flexibility and not trying to fit everybody in to my own expectations. This is a small example but, David is not a “handy-type” guy so I might of expected him to do some of that type of stuff around the house but it doesn’t happen. But it’s not a big deal, and in our working relationships with people you can’t have expectations of how you want it be. You have to look at what the situation is and appreciate it and work with it. I think that flexibility has made our business stronger.
[D]: One of the key ingredients that we talk about it the book is, it’s about balance not about parody. Meaning that you have to do everything 50/50 down the middle. We let the person who’s best at whatever it is handle it in that moment. Jamillah was a banker before so she’s better with the numbers and I interact more with the actors, but we balance each other.
Speaking of the actors that you have, you have Royce Reed (from Basketball Wives) this week. What can you say about her and how has she fit in with the other cast members?
[D]: When she came to audition, I leaned over to Jamillah and I said, “You know that’s what I get for underestimating people.” I could tell immediately that she had talent and she had training. She’s very professional and that cast has embraced her as well as the audience.[She’s] showcasing her talents in a way that I think will open people’s eyes.
I want to get a little insight on your book Perfect Combination ““ Seven Key Ingredients to Happily Living and Loving Together. Can you elaborate on the phrase that you use “Love Like Kids, Act Like Adults.”
[J]: We’re really happy with that phrase because, you have that title but it’s really hard to encapsulate the gist of the book with one phrase. We feel like it captures the sentiment of the book. Love Like Kids: kids are unconditional in their love, they’re happy, and they make you feel happy. We have a daughter and David gave her a super-power nickname which is, “The Anti-Depressant.” She’s just so joyful and she makes you joyful just being around her. For the Act Like Adults part; you have to take responsibility for your self. For example, in the book we talk about how you have to a friend not only to your partner but to yourself. You have to do things for yourself to make yourself happy and progress in your life and not repeat any of the same old habits.
I know you guys are pretty much agree together on most things, but I do know that David is a Princeton graduate and Jamillah you’re a Harvard grad; Princeton men’s basketball team beat Harvard this past weekend, any hard feelings?
[J] That was a fluke!
[D] It’s funny you mentioned that because I feel like being with Jamillah was destiny. There’s so many ways our paths crossed and we never met. One of them is that she after she graduated from Harvard she went to the Kennedy School there (at Harvard). I did a summer study program there and I met her brother and her cousin years before I met her. I’m a New Yorker through and through, but the one time I went out of state to work, I went to work in Chicago in her neighborhood. When you said the Princeton and Harvard thing it reminded me of that. We went to the same school at Harvard.
Well seeing as how you’re a die-hard New Yorker and Jamillah being a Harvard grad, I can’t leave without getting a quote from you about Jeremy Lin:
[D]: I think Jeremy Lin, oddly enough, is going to be one of the best things to happen to black kids in years.
Wow!,why do you say that?
[D] Because, this guy was good all this time but no one could see it.(And when) they saw it, they couldn’t believe their eyes. It makes me think of a brother I went to law school with who was a straight A student in law school. He went to see a professor about being a teacher’s assistant and the professor says, “I don’t believe in affirmative action.” He had straight A’s but (the professor) couldn’t see it. Theres’ going to be so much focus on the fact that (Jeremy Lin) went to Harvard and he can play ball.
Thanks for your time. I wish you much more success in the future.
[D&J] Thanks for talking with us.
For more information on the play including ticket information, visit platanosandcollardgreens.com
For more information on their upcoming book visit acoupleoflambs.com