Ceremonies in Dark Old Men: A Play in Two Acts - Softcover

Lonne Elder, III

3.79

62 ratings by Goodreads

9780573606885: Ceremonies in Dark Old Men: A Play in Two Acts

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0573606889 ISBN 13: 9780573606885

Publisher: Samuel French Inc Plays, 1969

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Book by Lonne Elder, III

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Review:

Set in Harlem, Lonne Elder's 1965 drama follows a chronically unemployed black man who is so endlessly nagged to get a job by his working daughter that he finally goes into illegal numbers and a corn whiskey business with his two similarly unemployed sons as a way of gaining some sort of pride. But tragedy awaits. The characters and situation may seem clich�d now (substitute drugs for whiskey), but that's only because the play was a seminal and endlessly imitated work of contemporary African American fiction. The original is stark, simple, and still powerful. It deals with issues that have become the very fabric of social debate in America: who is responsible? The problem below that is self-respect. And the problem below that is shaking off the spiritual legacy of slavery.

From the Inside Flap:

This classic play by Academy Award nominee Lonne Elder III gives us the portrait of a Harlem family that dreams of a better life, but pursues it in tragic ways. First produced by the Negro Ensemble Company in 1969, the critically acclaimed Ceremonies in Dark Old Men opened the door for a new generation of African American playwrights, including August Wilson and Lynn Nottage.

An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring Rocky Carroll, Brandon Dirden, Jason Dirden, Julia Pace Mitchell, Charlie Robinson, Glynn Turman and Michole Briana White.

Directed by Judyann Elder. Recorded before a live audience at the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles.

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