The Black Seat In The House

I don’t represent all—but I fight for the unseen.
I review films, plays, museum walls—whatever’s speaking—through the eyes of a Black gay man.
I show up, I look deeper, and I write from our lens.
Because too many white reviewers miss the point.
And our stories deserve to be seen with care, context, and understanding.
This isn’t just critique—it’s cultural translation.

The Spider Woman's Gift: How Bill Condon's "Kiss" Fulfilled What Chita Rivera Promised a Young Queer Boy

I thought I was going to see a movie. Instead, I got handed back a piece of my younger self—that boy who believed that art could save him, that representation could heal him, that seeing himself reflected on stage could make him whole.

The Black Seat In The House

J.R. Whittington

Oct 133 min read

When Three Men Made Me Question My Entire Existence: A ‘Brothers Size’ Reckoning

This is what theater can do when it stops performing and starts revealing: it makes you sad, horny, inspired, and proud all at once.

The Black Seat In The House

J.R. Whittington

Sep 143 min read

A Love Letter to Paul Reubens: The Man Behind the Red Bow Tie

I know you are, but what am I? A grown man weeping in his living room at 2 AM, that's what I am. Ha-ha! But this ain't no laughing matter, not really.

The Black Seat In The House

J.R. Whittington

Aug 144 min read

HBO Girls: A Gen X Love Letter to Millennial Magic

I'm Gen X as fuck, born into a world where we learned to expect nothing and somehow still got disappointed. But Girls? That show grabbed me by the throat and whispered truths I didn't know I needed to hear.

The Black Seat In The House

J.R. Whittington

Jul 133 min read

Audra McDonald in “Gypsy” Wasn’t What I Wanted—She Was More Than I Knew I Needed

I walked in jaded. I walked out transformed. Audra didn’t belt the way I expected—but she broke me open in ways I didn’t see coming. This wasn’t the Gypsy I dreamed of. It was something deeper. Something holy.

The Black Seat In The House

J.R. Whittington

May 184 min read

"Forever" Netflix - Healed my inner black child.

"Forever" Is A Prayer, A Memory, A Mirror.

“Forever” wrapped around my spirit and kissed the parts I thought had gone numb—Black love, soft and sacred, finally shown the way it deserves.

The Black Seat In The House

J.R. Whittington

May 112 min read

"Sinners": Shock, Blood, Genius

Ryan Coogler scares me—and not for the reasons you think. This vampire film didn’t just bite, it baptized me in Black brilliance.

The Black Seat In The House

J.R. Whittington

May 23 min read

"Purpose" (the broadway play)

These weren’t performers. These were mirrors. I saw my cousins, my aunties, my brothers in them. They reached into their souls and pulled me out of my own weary world. I wasn’t just in the audience—I was in their home. I was on that stage. I was *them.*

The Black Seat In The House

J.R. Whittington

Apr 163 min read

J.R. Whittington

New York NY

The Spider Woman's Gift: How Bill Condon's "Kiss" Fulfilled What Chita Rivera Promised a Young Queer Boy

When Three Men Made Me Question My Entire Existence: A ‘Brothers Size’ Reckoning

A Love Letter to Paul Reubens: The Man Behind the Red Bow Tie

HBO Girls: A Gen X Love Letter to Millennial Magic

Audra McDonald in “Gypsy” Wasn’t What I Wanted—She Was More Than I Knew I Needed

"Forever" Is A Prayer, A Memory, A Mirror.

"Sinners": Shock, Blood, Genius

"Purpose" (the broadway play)

Behind The Scenes