[NEohioPAL] Karamu's Final three performances of play by Jean Genet

["Vivian C. Wilson" <vwilson@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Karamu House, Inc.

             2355 East 89^th Street

             Cleveland, Ohio 44106

Contact:  Vivian C. Wilson

  Marketing Manager

Phone (216) 795-7070 x 215

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –Monday – May 5, 2008

Karamu’s ‘The Blacks’ is an artistic triumph

 

 

Reviewed by: Fran Heller    May 1, 2008 Cleveland Jewish News

“It was like nothing I had ever seen before.

I am talking about “The Blacks: a clown show,” Jean Genet’s 1958 absurdist comedy-drama which took off-Broadway by storm in 1961. A story about race and a fierce indictment of classism and white oppression of blacks, it struck a nerve in the turbulent era of nascent Black Nationalism and civil rights.

Fast forward to Karamu Performing Arts Theatre, where almost five decades later, a new production of “The Blacks” has lost none of its sting or sardonic humor under the fiercely intelligent and creative direction of Terrence Spivey. It runs through May 10.

It is a tribute to artistic director Spivey that his all-black cast of 13 non-Equity actors have not only met but surpassed the challenge of putting on this fiendishly difficult and demanding show. This ensemble acts its heart out and is a pleasure to watch.”  ….

 

 

 

 

 

THE BLACKS: A Clown Show was written in 1958 at the request of a black actor. But Jean Genet, a white, French novelist and playwright (The Balcony), wrote the drama focusing on a troupe of black actors, who come together to perform a ritual that requires the corpse of a white woman.  Originally written for an all-black cast, The Blacks offered a new voice to American theatre. Elevating the careers for the late Roscoe Lee Browne, James Earl Jones, Maya Angelou, Louis Gosset Jr., Cicely Tyson, Raymond St. Jacques and Godfrey Cambridge. It won an Obie for Best Off Broadway play in 1961, becoming one of the longest running non-musicals (three years) to ever hit the stage. It still remains just as shocking and relevant today.

NOTE: Audience members will be asked to wear a mask for this production (provided by ushers).   Do not come alone and dare you come late.  Discretion is advised due to content, language, and, unexpected audience interaction. 

French novelist, playwright and poet Jean Genet was born in Paris to a Parisian prostitute. Genet became a thief and male prostitute. While in prison Genet began writing. His plays relied heavily on ritual, transformation, illusion and interchangeable identities. His experiences in prison influenced most of his work. He wrote about homosexuals, prostitutes, thieves and outcasts of his plays being trapped in self-destructive circles. Genet died in Paris on April 15, 1986

THE BLACKS: a clown show will be performed in Karamu’s Arena Theatre

Final three performances this week are Thursday, May 8 thru Saturday May 10, 2008
 

Ticket prices are $20.00 for Thursday night performance and

                            $25.00 on Friday and Saturday.

 

 

For ticket availability please call Karamu’s box office at 216-795-7077 or visit online

at www.karamu.com.

 

Karamu House Inc.  is generously funded by Cuyahoga County Residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. The Cleveland Foundation and The George Gund Foundation.  

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