One of my good friends lent me Red Letter Plays by Suzan-Lori Parks. My friend and I had both taken some women's playwrighting courses in college and this was one of her recomendations.
First of all - I want to say that this is one of the most compelling covers I've seen in a long time. How could you not at leat pick it up? I was really excited to learn that Parks was playing off of the Scarlet Letter.
Now, I'm not sure why I did this but I read Fucking A before In The Blood. And, if you do read these plays please note that there are translations to the weird gibberish that the ladies speak in now and then - at the back of the book. I didn't see any footnote directing me back there so I didn't read the translations until after the fact.
Anyway, Fucking A is the story of a mother who is an abortionist working hard to earn money to get her son out of jail. She, Hester, carries an "A" much like Hester Pryne, however hers is literally carved into her chest and continually bleeding. Would be a fun time for the make-up artist. She's friends with a woman who is the mistress of the Mayor. And to top it off, a murdering ex-con is on the loose.
In The Blood also centers around a Hester (not the same one) who has five children with five different dads, none of whom are around. Hester is trying to make ends meet and gets her hopes up when her oldest child's father is aking around town for her.
These plays were both really enjoyable to read and would be amazing to see on stage. Parks has a style of playwrighting that is like no other play I've read before. I would highly recommend these plays.
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