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1991

Spunk

Written by George C. Wolfe

Play Details

Context

Artistic Director 
Max Stafford-Clark

Adapted by
George C. Wolfe

Co-production with Public Theatre, New York

 

Dates Performed

Wednesday 17th July 1991
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs

Play Details

Synopsis

‘Round about long ‘go & ‘O, way down, nearby’. The vibrant, sultry world of early 20th century African American life, pulsing with blues and brimming with tales untold.

Spunk weaves together three of Zora Neale Hurston’s short stories into a tapestry of Black experience, narrated by the melodious Guitar Man and Blues Speak Woman. In Sweat, we follow Delia, a washerwoman whose strength is tested by her abusive husband’s cruel games. Story in Harlem Slang brings us Jelly and Sweet Back, two sharp-tongued hustlers trading barbs on 1940s Harlem streets. Finally, The Gilded Six-Bits explores the marriage of Missie May and Joe, as they navigate the treacherous waters of temptation and forgiveness.

George C. Wolfe’s adaptation crackles with the energy of Hurston’s prose, bringing her world to vivid theatrical life through innovative staging and rich vernacular language. As the stories unfold, themes of resilience, cultural identity, and the complexities of love emerge, painting a nuanced portrait of African American life. From rural Florida to urban Harlem, Spunk celebrates the indomitable spirit of a people, their struggles, joys, and the unbreakable bonds of community that sustain them through it all.

Director(s)

George C Wolfe

Content Warning

Description and depiction of domestic abuse, fat-shaming

Cast & Creative

Cast

Ann Duquesnay

Cast

Kevin Jackson

Cast

Chic Street Man

Cast

Stanley Wayne Mathis

Cast

Reggie Mongomery

Cast

Danitra Vance

Sound

Chic Street Man (composer)

What our readers say

 

What is it like reading this play now?

The play remains strikingly relevant today. Its innovative use of blues music to delve into the urban and rural experiences of African Americans in the 20th century is a perspective that still feels fresh and underrepresented in modern theatre.

 

What films or music does it make you think of?

The music of B.B. King, Etta James, Freddie King, Bessie Smith

 

If you like this play you might also like…?

Hadestown, Is God Is, Girl From The North Country, Slave Play, School Girls or African Mean Girls


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