2 Responses to “The Blacks: A Clown Show”

1. E. Garcia says:

   February 1, 2010 at 7:15 AM

   The single star is for this edition, not the play itself, which is Genet’s only true theatrical masterpiece–as his true masterpieces are otherwise his novels. PAGE 120 OF THE BOOK IS BLANK! That’s right, so stay away from this one until a new printing comes out. I contacted the publisher personally, and all current copies share the defect. No date has been set for a reprint. I would commend the original French to able readers. The play contains notable amounts of prose poetry that translations tend to butcher–as they also, for some mysterious reason, tend to do the play’s emotional impact; the French is much more touching.
   Rating: 1 / 5
2. Anonymous says:

   February 1, 2010 at 9:05 AM

   Let me start off by saying that Jean Genet’s “The Blacks” isn’t for everyone. It’s a very abstract work that demands patience from the reader. It’s a play within a play so there are lots of times when you are not sure when the characters are addressing themselves or the audience. That being said Genet originally wrote the play (In French) as an assault against French Colonialism in Africa in the 1950’s…..However “The Blacks” most famous production came in New York in 1961. Directed by Gene Frankel and starring Roscoe Lee Browne, James Earl Jones, Lou Gossett Jr., Cicely Tyson, and Maya Angelou “The Blacks” ushered in a whole new era of black actors in America. This version of the play contains between 10 and 15 pictures of that New York production. The pictures alone are more than worth the price of the book!
   Rating: 4 / 5

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