Six black minstrel
players in a Pullman porter railroad car on a cold winter’s afternoon in
February 1895, outside the rural town of Hannibal, Missouri, wait for show time
to arrive. The chilly wind blows outside as they pass the time with stories and
memories. Suddenly one member, Percy, so far
absent,
bursts in and collapses on the floor. When the troupe realizes their friend has
been chased by a white mob, they must find a way to protect him and themselves.
Fear, anxiety and deep honesty surface as these black me blacken their faces
with burnt cork, trying to allow their friend to avoid detection. The white mob
realizes where Percy is and shows up at the train where Percy goes out to face
them, hoping to save the others.
Successfully present by the Negro Ensemble Company, this thoughtful play examines the lives of a troupe of black minstrels, touring the United States in 1895. The writing captures the spirit of hope that propels the troupe through the pin and struggle of survival, know that ever performance may be followed by exclusions and prejudice.
“Abundant talent-derailed and forgotten in its time- is recalled with ruefulness in Mr. Brown’s observant new play.”
-New York Times
“…A glorious play”
-The New Yorker
“The pleasure of the language so beautifully pieced together in this play by Carlyle Brown, the clarity and simple theatricality of the presentation and the deep evocation of what nineteenth-century life was like for blacks in the theatre touched this white viewer to the core.”
-Theater Week
World Premiere: Penumbra Theatre Company, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1986
The Negro Ensemble Company, New York City, 1990
Published: Dramatists Play Service
Included in the anthology COLORED CONTRADICTIONS; Penguin Books