''Buy the Bi and Bye'' is an American play written by
Felton Perry
Felton Perry (born September 11, 1945) is an American actor. He is most notable for his roles as Deputy Obrah Eaker in the 1973 movie '' Walking Tall'', and as Inspector Early Smith in the 1973 movie '' Magnum Force'', the second film in the ''D ...
that was first staged in 1976 at the Actor's Theater in Los Angeles, California.
Plot
A group of mostly
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
actors gather at a theater to read through a fictional play called ''Killing Flo'' by a
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
writer-director with
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...
.
Reception
The ''Progress Bulletin''
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...
praised the 1976 premiere staging of the play calling it an "offbeat and hilarious black satire with a zinging performance by
Ron Thompson."
When the play was later performed in 1986 the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' wrote "The voice of a keenly observant satirist is heard throughout "Buy the Bi and Bye," at the Richmond Shepard. Yet Felton Perry's play isn't as sharp as it must have been 10 years ago at Los Angeles Actors' Theatre."
References
American plays
Satirical plays
Comedy plays
1976 plays
Race in the United States
{{1970s-play-stub