CMU School of Drama


Friday, April 05, 2024

On London Stages, Uplifting Tales of Black Masculinity

The New York Times: If you believe the Op-Eds, men are in a bad way these days: perpetually beleaguered and isolated, if not irredeemably toxic. But two lively new plays in London suggest an alternative, sanguine vision of 21st-century masculinity, foregrounding generous portrayals of male bonding and togetherness.

1 comment:

Penny Preovolos said...

I think this is something that I haven’t thought a lot about as someone who identifies as a woman in this world. I think the article has an interesting point about how men can be portrayed in the media as “irredeemably toxic” and while I am not sure it is as bad or as harmful as the male gaze onto women I think they have a good point. And most importantly I think it would be only helpful for young male-identifying humans to have the opportunity to see vulnerable, emotional, and healthy portrayals of men on stage. I also enjoyed this article because one of the plays they discussed was “For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Dark” which is a sort of retelling of “Black Girls Who Have Considered Suicide” by Ntzake Shange. I have to say though I was surprised that they took an inherently feminist story and turned it into a story told and performed by men from their perspective (although I have not seen it I think it sort of defeats the purpose of her original work).