Seven Guitars
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (July 2011) |
| Seven Guitars | |
|---|---|
Chicago, Illinois | |
| Original language | English |
| Series | The American Century Cycle |
| Subject | an aspiring blues musician, a sick old man, three single women and the plight of African-American postwar urban poverty |
| Genre | Tragicomedy |
| Setting | 1940s; The backyard of a boardinghouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
Seven Guitars is a 1995 play by American
Plot synopsis
Just released from 90 days in jail, Blues singer Floyd "Schoolboy" Barton is asked to sign a record deal after a song he recorded months before becomes an unexpected hit.[1] After a year of trials and tribulations, Floyd is ready to right the past year's wrongs and return to Chicago with a new understanding of what's important in his life. Unfortunately his means of righting wrongs are inherently flawed.
The play's recurring theme is the African-American male's fight for his own humanity, self-understanding and self-acceptance in the face of personal and societal ills. The rooster is a recurring symbol of black manhood throughout the play, and provides a violent and shocking foreshadowing effect when Hedley delivers a fiery monologue and ritualistically slaughters one in front of the other characters.
Awards and nominations
- Awards
- 1996 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play
- Nominations
- 1995 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
- 1996 Drama Desk Award for Best Play
- 1996 Tony Award for Best Play
References
- ^ Canby, Vincent (29 March 1996). "THEATER REVIEW;Unrepentant, Defiant Blues For 7 Voices". New York Times. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- Wilson, August (1996). Seven Guitars (First ed.). New York: Samuel French. ISBN 0-573-69600-4.