play
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
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* P ...
by American playwrightsteve carter . Set in the 1950s, it is the second of Carter's Caribbean trilogy. ''Nevis Mountain Dew'' explores the subject of euthanasia involving the patriarch of an affluent family who is confined to an
iron lung
An iron lung is a type of negative pressure ventilator (NPV), a mechanical respirator which encloses most of a person's body, and varies the air pressure in the enclosed space, to stimulate breathing.Shneerson, Dr. John M., Newmarket Genera ...
.
Characters
; Jared Philibert: The 50-year-old patriarch of an affluent Caribbean-American family. Due to being afflicted with paralysis, he is confined to an iron lung.
; Everalda Philibert Griffin: Jared's sister and the family member primarily responsible for his care.
; Zepora Philibert: A younger sister of Jared.
; Billie Philbert: The
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
wife of Jared.
; Ayton Morris: A family friend.
; Boise McCanles: A co-worker of Billie's.
; Lud Gaithers: Another co-worker of Billie's and Boise's friend.
Plot synopsis
Set in the
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
borough of New York City in 1954, a Caribbean-American family gathers to celebrate the 50th birthday of Jared Philibert, who is confined to an iron lung due to paralysis. Ayton, Jared's best friend, arrives at the party with a bottle of rum called "Nevis Mountain Dew." When people drink it, the rum seems to act as a
truth serum
"Truth serum" is a colloquial name for any of a range of psychoactive drugs used in an effort to obtain information from subjects who are unable or unwilling to provide it otherwise. These include ethanol, scopolamine, 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate, ...
.
Origins of the play
''Nevis Mountain Dew'' is loosely based on the experience of a patient that the playwright encountered while working in a hospital. The play is dedicated to him.
Douglas Turner Ward
Douglas Turner Ward (May 5, 1930February 20, 2021) was an American playwright, actor, director, and theatrical producer. He was noted for being a founder and artistic director of the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC). He was nominated for the Tony ...
* Managing Director: Gerald S. Krone
* Set Designer: Wynn P. Thomas
* Costume Designer: Alvin B. Perry
* Lighting Designer: Larry Johnson
* Press Representative: Howard Atlee
* Production Stage Manager: Clinton Turner Davis
* Opened: December 7, 1978, at St. Mark's Playhouse
Frances Foster
Frances Helen Foster (née Brown; June 11, 1924 – June 17, 1997)
was an American film, television and stage actress. In addition to being an actress, Brown was also an award–winning stage director.
Life and career
Foster was born Fran ...
Ethel Ayler
Ethyl Spraggins Ayler (May 1, 1930 – November 18, 2018) was an American character actress with a career spanning over five decades.
Biography
Ayler was born in Whistler, Alabama and graduated from Fisk University.
In 1957, she made her ...
Samm-Art Williams
Samm-Art Williams (born Samuel Arthur Williams; January 20, 1946) is an American playwright and screenwriter, and a stage and film/ TV actor and television producer. Much of his work concerns the African-American experience.
He was nominated ...
Ethel Ayler
Ethyl Spraggins Ayler (May 1, 1930 – November 18, 2018) was an American character actress with a career spanning over five decades.
Biography
Ayler was born in Whistler, Alabama and graduated from Fisk University.
In 1957, she made her ...
* Leon Morenzie
* Chuck Patterson
* Olivia Williams
''Nevis Mountain Dew'' was selected among ten New York City productions as one of "The Best Plays of 1978–1979."
Frances Foster
Frances Helen Foster (née Brown; June 11, 1924 – June 17, 1997)
was an American film, television and stage actress. In addition to being an actress, Brown was also an award–winning stage director.
Life and career
Foster was born Fran ...
Ethel Ayler
Ethyl Spraggins Ayler (May 1, 1930 – November 18, 2018) was an American character actress with a career spanning over five decades.
Biography
Ayler was born in Whistler, Alabama and graduated from Fisk University.
In 1957, she made her ...
Samm-Art Williams
Samm-Art Williams (born Samuel Arthur Williams; January 20, 1946) is an American playwright and screenwriter, and a stage and film/ TV actor and television producer. Much of his work concerns the African-American experience.
He was nominated ...
Edmund Cambridge
Edmund James Cambridge Jr. (September 18, 1920 – August 18, 2001) was an American actor and director who was a founding member of the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) and the Kilpatrick-Cambridge Theater Arts School.Graham Brown – Jared Philibert
*
Esther Rolle
Esther Elizabeth Rolle (November 8, 1920 – November 17, 1998) was an American actress. She is best known for her role as Florida Evans, on the CBS television sitcom '' Maude,'' for two seasons (1972–1974), and its spin-off series ''Go ...
Roxie Roker
Roxie Albertha Roker (August 28, 1929 – December 2, 1995) was an American actress who portrayed Helen Willis on the CBS sitcom ''The Jeffersons'' (1975–1985), half of the first interracial couple to be shown on regular prime time television ...
– Zepora Philibert
*
Lincoln Kilpatrick
Lincoln Kilpatrick (February 12, 1932 – May 18, 2004) was an American film, television, and stage actor.
Biography Career
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Kilpatrick attended Lincoln University and earned a degree in drama before he began acting. ...
– Ayton Morris
*
Hal Williams
Halroy Candis Williams (born December 14, 1938) is an American actor, best known for his recurring roles as Police Officer Smith ("Smitty") on ''Sanford and Son'' (1972–1976), Harley Foster on ''The Waltons'' (1973-1980), and as the patriarch Le ...
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. Each play tackles the subject of euthanasia through the eyes of a man that has become paralyzed. Otis L. Guernsey Jr., editor of ''The Best Plays of 1978–1979'' theatre yearbook, which recognized the two productions that season, made the following observation:
"''Nevis Mountain Dew'' of course invites comparison with this season's British script on much the same subject, '' Whose Life Is It Anyway?'', and the
NEC
is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. The company was known as the Nippon Electric Company, Limited, before rebranding in 1983 as NEC. It provides IT and network soluti ...
variation on this theme holds its own. It doesn't confront its invalid's question "To be or not to be?" as polemically as its British counterpart, but it takes a similar stand and a closer look at the effects of such a calamity on those surrounding the victim."
Awards and recognition
* 1979: Selection, Burns Mantle, ''The Best Plays of 1978–1979''
* 1982 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award – Lead Performance ( Graham Brown)