THE STORY: Freeman Aquila is a young black man, son of an industrious foundry worker and a practical nurse, who is trapped not so much by the color of his skin as by the complexities of his nature. Spurning the conventional routes to possible "success" in a white-dominated world, Freeman pursues an independent, free-wheeling course through attempts at politics and real estate schemes - only to be frustrated at every turn. The irony is that Freeman's disturbing ambitions are curbed not only by the local establishment, but also by his own family and friends; his weary, middle-class parents, who are fearful of jeopardizing all that their years of resigned acceptance have brought them; his boyhood friend, Rex, now a successful doctor, who has gained power and wealth through "practical" compromise; and his pregnant wife, Osa Lee, who yearns only for security and a home of her own. Inevitably Freeman's dogged persistence brings on a crisis which gives tragic dimension to his plight. He is clearly in the right, yet he must also lose - as, by powerful implication, does society as a whole.
Presented with great success by The American Place Theatre, this perceptive, moving and ultimately shattering play offers arresting new insights into the Black Experience in America. "This is a fascinating play, and confirms that Mr. Dean is a black playwright of far more than usual interest. He has fire." - NY Times. "
honest and compassionate
unmistakably the work of a genuine playwright
" - NY Daily News. "Dean, in his compassion, has captured the brittle soul of a man and conveyed a kind of suffering that is undeniable and illuminating." - Village Voice.
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Dramatists Play Service Inc. |
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| Category |
Plays |
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| Medium |
Softcover |
| ISBN13 |
9780822204220 |
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| Dimensions |
197x134 |
