The Death of the Last Black Man in the Entire World NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (86)
See it if You like plays that make you think, and afterwards you discuss them with friends to figure them out;about the rise of Afro-American heritage
Don't see it if You are easily confused and do not like dialogue that seems nonsensical;expect a conventional storyline Read more
See it if You like non-linear theater with tropes, great acting and costumes and inspired use of music/sound and costumes.
Don't see it if You like straight-forward, linear, plot driven plays.
See it if You enjoy reflections on race & society and you are comfortable with loosely structured narrative - this is more poetry in motion then plot
Don't see it if You are expecting Father Comes Home From the War type narrative - this is an earlier work and much more abstract
See it if Parks' jazz/hip-hop tone poem about the death of an average black man who symbolically morphs into the entire black race. Brilliant staging
Don't see it if Vibrant cast keeps us energized despite chaotic, non-linear structure. Has more of a poetry slam quality rather than narrative. Tough going
See it if you'd like to see something that feels more like slam poetry interpretive dance than a play. Theater equivalent to avant-guard jazz
Don't see it if you want to be able to understand a reason for everything that is happening in front of you. This is very abstract & purposefully confusing
See it if you are interested in poetic, experimental pieces that deal with the history of race and culture in an inventive way
Don't see it if you want something with a straightforward narrative, or aren't looking to be challenged as an audience member
See it if you enjoy rhythmic, spoken word-esque theatrical pieces, and are interested in the commentaries on racial injustice.
Don't see it if you want a more "beginning, middle, end" plot focused theatrical piece, you do not care to listen to pieces focus on race and injustice. Read more
See it if You like non-linear performances; you are interested in a non-traditional poetic performance with intriguing choreography
Don't see it if Don't see it if you're not interested in hearing an African-American writer stretch language and theatricality.
Critic Reviews (29)
"Director Lileana Blain-Cruz's mock-celebratory pageant-like production is performed by a fine ensemble whose tongues are nimbly set within their cheeks...Typical of the earlier works of the future Pulitzer winner, the exact intention of the piece may not be easy to grasp, but it's still to be admired as an uninhibited abstract collage by a young voice who will eventually be recognized as one of the new century's most important playwrights."
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"At times, the text seems impossibly dense, at other times, it seems irritatingly repetitious. But it also evokes a world underpinned by dread that, I fear, is all too real for too many Americans…A strange experience, alternately gripping and mystifying -- but the overall effect is haunting…The piece benefits enormously from the precise, visually compelling staging by Blain-Cruz and a highly disciplined company…’The Death of the Last Black Man’ is a tough experience but a necessary one. "
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"A credible but not quite electrifying Signature Theatre revival...Fascinating but scattershot play...A little of it does go a long way, and even at 75 minutes 'The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World' feels overlong...History, in other words, does not exactly come alive. But maybe it doesn't need to—its arrival at all makes it possible for us to commit it to posterity, so that we'll never forget the identity of the black man who was eternally searching for it."
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"I'm a Parks fan...But this very colorful new-old play is not going anywhere near the top of my list of favorite Parks works...Lileana Blain-Cruz's handsome, music-infused production isn't enough to offset the inaccessibility of the experience...The entire ensemble is excellent, and all have standout moments...The vivacious performances and staging keep the audience engaged—even when more than a little confused."
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“Every writer, including MacArthur ‘Genius’ Award winner, Suzan-Lori Parks, had to start somewhere with early works that don't quite measure up to their more mature output yet indicate ingenuity and imagination. Her ‘The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World AKA The Negro Book of the Dead’ (1990) displays her genius for language but a beginner's passion for overwriting, throwing in way too many allusions in too many styles.”
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"An aesthetically stunning and emotionally evocative piece sure to resonate in the wake of a charged election, 'The Death of the Last Black Man' is a must-see...In the exceptional hands of director Lileana Blain-Cruz, Parks’ script shines...Together, Parks’ content and Blain-Cruz’s directorial choices transport us to a dream space, a liminality that is as beautiful as it is frightening...It feels like a disservice to attempt a description of this masterpiece; it simply begs to be experienced."
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"A dramatic trip like none you’ve ever taken. Suzan-Lori Parks has done it again – surprising us with a daring new work unlike any that she’s written before. This time, it’s in the form of a mesmerizing dramatic poem that deals with her favorite theme – namely, the history of the black man in America...It’s a playwright’s imagination gone wild, set free from the constraints of conventional theater…Lileana Blain-Cruz directs an inspired ensemble with appropriate flamboyance and flair."
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"The language itself is playful and so is the delivery by these highly animated actors...We are seduced into the scenes by the precision of each spoken word and each movement on the stage...Blain-Cruz directs an ensemble that pulls our back off our seat cushion to listen and watch closely...I enjoyed the whole painful thing. I did laugh, too. There were funny bits. And many hours later, I turn it over and over again in my memory discovering more truths about humanity."
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