The America Play and Other Works by Parks Suzan-Lori;

Author:Parks, Suzan-Lori; [Parks, Suzan-Lori]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Theatre Communications Group

The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World

1989-1992

The Figures

BLACK MAN WITH WATERMELON

BLACK WOMAN WITH FRIED DRUMSTICK

LOTS OF GREASE AND LOTS OF PORK

YES AND GREENS BLACK-EYED PEAS CORNBREAD

QUEEN-THEN-PHARAOH HATSHEPSUT

BEFORE COLUMBUS

OLD MAN RIVER JORDAN

HAM

AND BIGGER AND BIGGER AND BIGGER

PRUNES AND PRISMS

VOICE ON THUH TEE V

Time

THE PRESENT

When I die,

I won’t stay

Dead.

— BOB KAUFMAN

OVERTURE

BLACK MAN WITH WATERMELON: The black man moves his hands.

(A bell sounds twice)

LOTS OF GREASE AND LOTS OF PORK: Lots of Grease and Lots of Pork.

QUEEN-THEN-PHARAOH HATSHEPSUT: Queen-then-Pharaoh Hatshepsut.

AND BIGGER AND BIGGER AND BIGGER: And Bigger and Bigger and Bigger.

PRUNES AND PRISMS: Prunes and Prisms.

HAM: Ham.

VOICE ON THUH TEE V: Voice on thuh Tee V.

OLD MAN RIVER JORDAN: Old Man River Jordan.

YES AND GREENS BLACK-EYED PEAS CORNBREAD: Yes and Greens Black-Eyed Peas Cornbread.

BEFORE COLUMBUS: Before Columbus.

(A bell sounds once)

BLACK MAN WITH WATERMELON: The black man moves his hands.

QUEEN-THEN-PHARAOH HATSHEPSUT: Not yet. Let Queen-then-Pharaoh Hatshepsut tell you when.

LOTS OF GREASE AND LOTS OF PORK: This is the death of the last black man in the whole entire world.

(A bell sounds three times)

BLACK WOMAN WITH FRIED DRUMSTICK: Yesterday today next summer tomorrow just uh moment uhgoh in 1317 dieded thuh last black man in thuh whole entire world. Uh! Oh. Dont be uhlarmed. Do not be afeared. It was painless. Uh painless passin. He falls twenty-three floors to his death. 23 floors from uh passin ship from space tuh splat on thuh pavement. He have uh head he been keepin under thuh Tee V. On his bottom pantry shelf. He have uh head that hurts. Dont fit right. Put it on tuh go tuh thuh store in it pinched him when he walks his thoughts dont got room. Why dieded he huh? Where he gonna go now that he done dieded? Where he gonna go tuh wash his hands?

YES AND GREENS BLACK-EYED PEAS CORNBREAD: You should write that down and you should hide it under a rock. This is the death of the last black man in the whole entire world.

LOTS OF GREASE AND LOTS OF PORK / PRUNES AND PRISMS: Not yet—

BLACK MAN WITH WATERMELON: The black man moves. His hands—

QUEEN-THEN-PHARAOH HATSHEPSUT: You are too young to move. Let me move it for you.

BLACK MAN WITH WATERMELON: The black man moves his hands.—He moves his hands round. Back. Back. Back tuh that.

LOTS OF GREASE AND LOTS OF PORK: (Not dat.)

BLACK MAN WITH WATERMELON: When thuh worl usta be roun. Thuh worl usta be roun.

BLACK WOMAN WITH FRIED DRUMSTICK: Uh roun worl. Uh roun? Thuh worl? When was this.

QUEEN-THEN-PHARAOH HATSHEPSUT: Columbus. Before.

BEFORE COLUMBUS: Before. Columbus.

YES AND GREENS BLACK-EYED PEAS CORNBREAD: Before Columbus.

BLACK MAN WITH WATERMELON: HHH. HA!

QUEEN-THEN-PHARAOH HATSHEPSUT: Before Columbus thuh worl usta be roun they put uh /d/ on thuh end of roun makin round. Thusly they set in motion thuh end. Without that /d/ we coulda gone on spinnin forever. Thuh /d/ thing ended things ended.

YES AND GREENS BLACK-EYED PEAS CORNBREAD: Before Columbus.

(A bell sounds twice)

BEFORE COLUMBUS: The popular thinking of the day back in them days was that the world was flat.

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