Performance Space 122 (New York, NY)
When the master of the plantation dies, he wills his slaves to be freed, but his wife doesn't think that good property should be squandered. Pandemonium ensues. The play is inspired by the true story of Henry Box Brown who escaped to the North by mailing himself in a box. Southern Promises provides a unique portrait of the Old South.
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The last event was Sunday September 21, 2008 / 7:00pm. (view all dates)
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This is a very provocative play depicting the reality of the horrors of enslavement. Nudity, period specific language, murders, and simulated sex are all part of the play. Ironic humor mixes with drama to create a sometimes uncomfortable but always engrossing storyline. The acting is excellent.
With such a great topic being staged, I'm sorry to say that I really didn't like this piece. Some actors were fairly good, others were wooden and obviously spending most of their energy focusing on their forced Southern accents. The writing was not good, generally quite predictable and full of obvious, over-expressed emotions. And the 4 fully staged rape scenes were directed such that you actually didn't care what was happening. I don't recommend it.
I thought this play had good potential for a serious drama, however, it seemed that the rest of the audience found it comical. I didn't get any humor out of it, and found the sex scenes overdone and too long. Still, I give credit to the cast who did fine acting job.
Playwright provocateur Thomas Bradshaw ignites the stage yet again in his signature inflammatory style. Following sold out and controversial runs at Performance Space 122, including Prophet and Purity, and elsewhere, including Strom Thurmond Is Not a Racist and Cleansed, Bradshaw teams with acclaimed director Jose Zayas (a/d Talk Radio) for an explosive new creation that is not for the faint of heart.
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