Topdog/underdog
by Suzan-lori Parks

Name: Topdog/underdog
Brand: Suzan-lori Parks
SKU: 9781559362016
Rating: 4.5 (6634 reviews)

Topdog/underdog Book Cover — Topdog/underdog Cover

Highlights

Small Cast

Male

120 minsAmerican

Awards & Recognition

Drama League AwardOuter Critics CirclePulitzer PrizeTony Award

Winner! 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama Winner! 2023 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play Winner! 2023 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Revival of a Play Nominee: Three 2023 Drama League Awards, including Outstanding Revival of a Play

What readers are saying

Readers are divided on the effectiveness of the play, with many praising its depth, character complexity, and engaging themes. Some find it challenging as a read, suggesting it might be better appreciated when performed live. While strong praise highlights its gripping narrative and rich dialogue, a few express disappointment in its execution and lack of a traditional plot structure.

Deep and complex charactersGripping and original storyRich dialogue and themesChallenge to read without performanceNot everyone's style

Synopsis

Winner of the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama

A darkly comic fable of brotherly love and family identity is Suzan-Lori Parks latest riff on the way we are defined by history.

The play tells the story of Lincoln and Booth, two brothers whose names were given to them as a joke, foretelling a lifetime of sibling rivalry and resentment.

Haunted by the past, the brothers are forced to confront the shattering reality of their future.

Suzan-Lori Parks is the author of numerous plays, including In the Blood and Venus.

She is currently head of the A.S.K.

Theater Projects Writing for Performance Program at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia.

Press Reviews

"[A] vibrant comic drama of shifting identity and betrayal… from the ferociously talented author of In the Blood and The America Play."
— The New York Times