(9)
Black Girl
J E. Franklin
The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin
by Kirsten Childs
Off-Broadway
Highlights
90 mins 1990s Role(s) for Black Actor(s) Ensemble Cast Expandable Casting Flexible Cast Size Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle) Unit Set/Multiple Settings Period Costumes American Black History
Synopsis
What's a black girl from sunny Southern California to do?
White people are blowing up black girls in Birmingham churches.
Black people are shouting "Black is beautiful" while straightening their hair and coveting light skin.
Viveca Stanton's answer: Slap on a bubbly smile and be as white as you can be!
In a humorous and pointed coming-of-age story spanning the sixties through the nineties, Viveca blithely sails through the confusing worlds of racism, sexism and Broadway showbiz until she's forced to face the devastating effect self-denial has had on her life.
Press Reviews
"The play opens with an explosion of music… Accessible and enjoyable to people of all races and genders… The bubbly mixture of humor and pathos makes for an entertaining – but not feather-weight – show."
— Pioneer Press
"Soul-baring, passionate musical… Childs’ ruminations speak with wisdom and resonance not only to African-American audiences that share her experience and reference, but to any sensitive soul who ever has been on the outside, struggling to fit in."
— Star Tribune
"A sharp and tasty new musical… Charming… As the show ingeniously turns professional perkiness, the lifeblood of the American musical, into a funny, poignant comment on ethnic self-denial."
— The New York Times
Characters
| Character |
|---|
| Mommy |
| Daddy |
| Granny |
| Ballet Teacher |
| Chitty Chatty Pal 1 |
| Chitty Chatty Pal 2 |
| Cosmic |
| Dance Captain |
| Director Bob |
| Emily |
| Gregory |
| Harriet Tubman |
| Jazz Teacher |
| Keith |
| Larry |
| Lucas |
| Miss Pain |
| Modern Dance Teacher |
| Nilda |
| Policeman |
| Prince |
| Sandra |
| Scarlett |
| Secretary |
| Sophia |
+ 3 more characters
Videos
The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin – Encores! Off-Center First Look
Publication
Publisher Dramatists Play Service
Year 2003
Binding Paperback
Pages 72
Language English
ISBN-13 9780822218791
ISBN-10 0822218798
LCCN 2006469693
LCC ML50.C543 B83 2003
The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin is a American black history play written by Kirsten Childs and published by Dramatists Play Service (2003).
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