"No motherfucker I'm the prize "
— Gary
This Play has examples of:
- Accent Relapse: Unable to continue, Jim suddenly switches from a deep southern accent to a modern British one at the end of the first act.
- Ambiguous Ending: After yelling the safe word to stop Jim's fantasy play Kaniesha bursts into tears. However she then begins to laugh and thank Jim for listening.
- Audience Participation: Played with, The set on Broadway was made up of large mirrored panes of glass, forcing the audience to see themselves on the stage at all times during the performance.
- Berserk Button: The word "processing" for Jim.
- Black Comedy: Jeremy O. Harris describes the play as "a comedy of sorts" in the "notes on style" foreword of the script.
- Book Ends: The play opens with Kaneisha dancing to "Work" by Rihanna. A slowed version is played during curtain call.
- Book Smart: Teá and Patricia are both Ivy League graduate students who typically speak in complicated psychological jargon (often to the dismay of the rest of the characters).
- Coitus Uninterruptus: After Jim calls out "Starbucks" all the couples must stop their fantasy play. This is especially bothersome to Alana.
- Double-Meaning Title: "Slave Play" describes both the play itself, which is a play about slavery, as well as what Antebellum Sexual Performance Therapy is.
- Dysfunction Junction: All of the couples presented are in deeply troubled relationships and are using Antebellum Sexual Performance Therapy to resolve their issues.
- Heel Realization: Alana has a breakdown after she realizes that she has not let Phillip work through his issues and has been talking over the rest of the groupAlana: Maybe I'm making things worse. But- yeah, am I even supposed to be talking?
- Period Piece: Subverted, Act 1 seems to take place on a plantation in the Antebellum South at the time of the Slave Trade. It is later revealed that the play takes place in modern times and the characters are roleplaying
- Safe Word: "Starbucks"
- Shout-Out:
- Act 1 is titled "Work" after Rihanna's hit song of the same name, which plays many times throughout the show
- Phillip performs Ginuwine's "Pony" on the Violin for Alana
- Take That!: During a scene transition in the Broadway production, the words "The Great White Way" are projected onto the set. The great white way is a classic nickname for Broadway, but in the context of the show it is used to criticize Broadway's racism and lack of diversity
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Act two has lots of them. Dustin gives one to Gary and Alana. Gary gives one to Dustin. Jim gives one to Teá and Patricia. Kaneisha gives one to Jim.
- Tone Shift: Act 1 plays out like a dark comedy while Acts 2 and 3 are much more dramatic and serious.
"Thank you, baby. Thank you For Listening."
