''The Blacks'' (french: Les Nègres) is a play by the
French dramatist
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
Jean Genet. Published in 1958, it was first performed in a production directed by
Roger Blin
Roger Blin (Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, 22 March 1907 – Évecquemont, France, 21 January 1984) was a French actor and director. He staged world premieres of Samuel Beckett's '' Waiting for Godot'' in 1953 and ''Endgame'' in 1957.C. J. Ackerle ...
at the Théâtre de Lutèce in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, which opened on 28 October 1959.
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Synopsis
A review of the
Theatre Royal Stratford East production (2007) states:
In Genet's oeuvre
In a prefatory note, Genet specifies the conditions under which he anticipates the play would be performed, revealing his characteristic concern with the politics and ritual of theatricality:
After ''
The Balcony
''The Balcony'' (french: Le Balcon) is a play by the French dramatist Jean Genet. It is set in an unnamed city that is experiencing a revolutionary uprising in the streets; most of the action takes place in an upmarket brothel that functions as a ...
'', The Blacks was the second of Genet's plays to be staged in
New York. The production was the longest-running
Off-Broadway non-musical of the decade. This 1961 New York production opened on 4 May at the
St. Mark's Playhouse and ran for 1,408 performances. It was directed by
Gene Frankel, with sets by
Kim E. Swados, music by
Charles Gross
Charles Gross (born 13 May 1934) is an American film and TV composer, living in New York City.
Gross, born in Boston, Massachusetts, was educated at Harvard University (BA), the New England Conservatory and Mills College (teaching fellowship), a ...
, and costumes and masks by
Patricia Zipprodt. The original cast featured
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...
as Deodatus,
Roscoe Lee Browne as Archibald,
Louis Gossett Jr.
Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. (born May 27, 1936) is an American actor. Born in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, He had his stage debut at the age of 17, in a school production of '' You Can't Take It with You.'' Shortly after he successfully ...
, as Edgar Alas Newport News,
Cicely Tyson
Cicely Louise Tyson (December 19, 1924January 28, 2021) was an American actress. In a career which spanned more than seven decades in film, television and theatre, she became known for her portrayal of strong African-American women. Tyson recei ...
as Stephanie,
Godfrey Cambridge as Diouf, Jay J. Riley as the Governor, Cynthia Belgrave as Adelaide Bobo,
Ethel Ayler as Augusta Snow,
Helen Martin as Felicity Trollop Pardon,
Raymond St. Jacques as Judge,
Maya Angelou as the White Queen and
Charles Gordone as the burglar.
Shi Mei Li directed the play in 1983.
[Bradby (1998, 417).]
See also
*
Theater of the Absurd
*
Whiteface (performance)
*''
Les Blancs''
References
Further reading
*
Bradby, David. 1998. "Genet, Jean." In ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre.'' Ed. Martin Banham. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 417. .
*
Genet, Jean. 1960. ''The Blacks:''. Trans. Bernard Frechtman. New York: Grove Press. .
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Blacks, The
1959 plays
African and Black nationalism
Plays by Jean Genet
Postcolonialism
Off-Broadway plays