Play Mas

Description

"Matura's play not only offers a potted guide to Trinidadian ethnicity, economics and politics, but also a potent metaphor for the post-colonial process. It is also very funny ... the real power of Matura's play lies in its reminder, under all that surface exuberance, that the movement towards independence carried its own element of fancy-dress masquerade." The Guardian 1950s Port of Spain. Samuel, a young tailor's assistant, dreams of Trinidad's independence. On the eve of carnival everyone fills the streets, dressed up to play mas. This annual celebration turns to tragedy and spurs Samuel on to make a decision that will change the political landscape of the future of this vibrant, volatile island. Play Mas premiered at the Royal Court in 1974, winning the Evening Standard Award for Best Play, and transferred to the West End. Described as a wickedly funny, exuberant and poignant play, it is published in Methuen Drama's Modern Classics series for the first time, with a brand new introduction by Paulette Randall.

Mustapha Matura was born in Trinidad and came to England in 1961. He co-founded the Black Theatre Co-operative with the director Charlie Hanson in 1978 under which he wrote the highly successful No Problem! His plays include: Rum an' Coca Cola (Royal Court Theatre and off-Broadway, 1976); Another Tuesday and More, More (the Factory, London, 1978); A Dying Business (Riverside Studios, 1980); One Rule (Riverside Studios, 1981); The Playboy of the West Indies (Oxford Playhouse, 1984, and produced for BBC television, 1985); Trinidad Sisters (Tricycle Theatre, 1988) and The Coup (Royal National Theatre, 1991). In 1991, Mustapha received the Trinidad and Tobago Government Scarlet Ibis Award for achievement.

A blackly comical play . . . a story of deceptive appearances . . . Play Mas misdirects us nicely: we've seen a thousand tales of the oppressed becoming the oppressor, yet this one still surprises. * The Times * A deeply and darkly funny exploration of Trinidad before and after the Caribbean island's independence from Britain in 1962. It sweeps you up and leaves you breathless * Time Out London *