A powerful theatrical testament by Keenan Scott II, THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN weaves spoken word, slam poetry and rhythm into a mosaic of the inner lives of Black men, and heralds the arrival of an essential new voice to the American Theater.
Like Shange's seven all-female characters (called the Lady in Red, the Lady in Blue, etc. after the color of their costumes) who told the stories of Black women's lives through poetry, song and dance, Scott's seven all-male characters (called Anger, Lust, Happiness and other emotions or character traits) tell the stories of Black men's lives through spoken word poetry, and occasional song (sung, beautifully, by Luke James.). But like the various series in which the cast members have performed, 'Thoughts of a Colored Man' also presents credible characters in more or less straightforward scenes - watching a basketball game and bickering in a neighborhood barbershop (the best scene), working or shopping at a grocery store, discussing women while waiting endlessly for a bus, waiting at a hospital maternity ward, coaching basketball in a school gym, shooting the breeze on a line to get the latest Air Jordans.
Signs play an important part in the episodic play Thoughts of a Colored Man. For one thing, the show itself was a sign: Thoughts was the first new show to put up a marquee during the COVID shutdown. In February, no one knew exactly how or when an opening would happen, so the display was a big, bold, crocus-yellow promise that the theater was going to return. The play also takes place on a sign - Robert Brill's set is a gigantic billboard. Behind the performers on the Golden Theatre's stage is a huge white rectangle with the word COLORED blocked out in gray-on-white letters. As the characters visit various locations in their neighborhood in Brooklyn, the performers wander around and on the billboard's metal framework.
2021 | Broadway |
Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music in a Play | Te'La |
2022 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Projection Design | Sven Ortel |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | John Gassner Award | Keenan Scott II |
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