Jitney

Description

Jitney is the seventh in Wilson's American Century cycle of plays on the black experience in twentieth-century America. He writes not about historical events or the pathologies of the black community, but the unique particulars of black culture. Currently on Broadway; it was first produced in New York in the spring of 2000, with a London run following in 2001, winning rave reviews and the accolade of the as the best play of the year. Set in the 1970s, this richly textured piece follows a group of men trying to eke out a living by driving unlicensed cabs (`jitneys'). When the city threatens to board up the business and the boss's son returns from prison, tempers flare, potent secrets are revealed and the fragile threads binding these people together may come undone. In addition to the essential and insightful preface by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, this edition includes production stills from the Manhattan Theatre Club's Broadway production, directed by Santiago-Hudson and featuring Harvy Blanks, Anthony Chisholm, Brandon J. Dirden, Andre Holland (Moonlight), Carra Patterson (Straight Outta Compton), Michael Potts (The Book of Mormon), Keith Randolph Smith, Ray Anthony Thomas and John Douglas Thompson.

August Wilson (1945-2005) is a major playwright whose work has been consistently acclaimed as among the finest of the American theatre. His first play, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for best new play. His second play, Fences, was adapted to an Oscar-nominated film starring Denzel Washington, which won the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award. He was awarded his second Pulitzer Prize for his play The Piano Lesson.

Playful and poignant... a triumph * The Guardian * Can you think of another dramatist able to bring such passion, humour and imagination to the task of chronicling a century from its first to its last? I can -- Benedict Nightingale * The Times * Thoroughly engrossing... Jitney holds us in charmed captivity * New York Times * Jitney is a transport of delight. So vividly written... it keeps you steadily amused, concerned, and moved * New York Magazine * The best play of the new year by a hop, skip, and a mile! * New York Observer *