An Octoroon
by Branden Jacobs-jenkins

Name: An Octoroon
Brand: Branden Jacobs-jenkins
SKU: 9781848426412
Rating: 4.08 (789 reviews)

An Octoroon Book Cover — An Octoroon Cover

Highlights

Medium Cast

Female

Male

American Adaptation Historical Black History

What readers are saying

Readers find this play to be a thought-provoking and innovative adaptation of a 19th-century melodrama, highlighting themes of race and American theatre. Many appreciate its unique blend of humor and serious commentary, making it a fascinating read. However, some feel that the complexities may be better understood through live performance rather than in a simply read format.

Thought-provoking and innovativeUnique blend of humor and critiqueEngaging commentary on raceComplexity may be hard to grasp in reading

Synopsis

What you gonna do once you free?

You just gonna walk up in somebody house and be like,"Hey.

I'm a slave.

Help me?"' Judge Peyton is dead, and his plantation Terrebonne is in financial ruins.

Peyton's handsome nephew George arrives as heir apparent, and quickly falls in love with Zoe, a beautiful 'octoroon'.

But the dastardly M'Closky has other plans - for both Terrebonne and Zoe.

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' exhilarating play, An Octoroon, draws on Dion Boucicault's 1859 melodrama The Octoroon to explore issues about race and identity in America today.

It won an OBIE Award when it was first seen in New York in 2014, and had its European premiere at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, in 2017, winning Branden Jacobs-Jenkins the Most Promising Playwright Award at the Evening Standard Awards.