Savage World
by Stephen Fife

Name: Savage World
Brand: Stephen Fife
SKU: 9780573705830
Rating: 2 (1 reviews)

Savage World Book Cover — Savage World Cover

Highlights

Female

Male

120 mins Present Day Role(s) for Black Actor(s) Bare Stage/Simple Set Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes

Synopsis

2016 Revised, Reduced-Cast Version Solomon Eisner, a former freelance journalist, is trying to find a way to repair his broken relationship with his biracial son, Danny.

Sol has tried to protect Danny from a dangerous past, but now he decides to videotape himself telling about this dark chapter from his youth that led to Danny’s birth.

The play dramatizes Sol’s attempt to save his son from a descent into violence, as Sol travels back to the 1970s, chronicling his quest to prove the innocence of “Savage” James, an outspoken Black boxer who has been convicted of murdering a Jewish couple during the Newark riots.

The play alternates between these two realities (the 1970s and “the present”), as Sol tries to rediscover the thread of belief and conviction that can give his son an understanding of events that Sol himself has not been able to come to terms with.

Press Reviews

"Savage World is proof of the power of theater: the ability to dramatize the struggles, triumphs of one and the many, and how story brings us together to see a part of the world we can only dare imagine."
— Tolucan Times

"At the end, the audience rewarded the huge cast with enthusiastic applause and a standing ovation... [Savage World] grabs your imagination and holds your interest."
— reviewplays.com

"CRITIC'S PICK! “Stephen Fife has created an epic American play… What Fife and his crew have accomplished is haunting… and unmistakably commendable."
— Backstage West

"The juicy core of the conflict is whether [the boxer] “Savage” James is indeed not guilty... [It's] an intense character-driven drama."
— LA Weekly

"Savage World is very intense… on the subjects of wrongful conviction, racial issues, the drive of a person to do what is right… Judge this play as a dramatic struggle for justice rather than another ‘sports’ issue."
— Accessibily Live Off-Line

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Solomon “Sol” Eisner Male, 45-55, white (plays himself at 25 as well as at 57)	male	45-55	Male, 45-55, white (plays himself at 25 as well as at 57)
Detective Frank Slezak, Fight Announcer, Prison Guard Male, 40, white	male	—	Male, 40, white
Adele Sparks, Ella, Carly, Woman Motorist Female, 35, Black	female	—	Female, 35, Black
Tyrone Bell, Radio Voice, Danny (Sol’S Son), Barry Baker, Buster, Reporter, Guards Male, 26, Black	male	—	Male, 26, Black
Mel Thomas, Harley Mack, Vernon Tate, Guard, Stentorian Voice, Reporter Male, 50, Black	male	—	Male, 50, Black
Jimmy Lugo, Maxie Lazlo, Creech, Dj, Reporter, Ray Braniff, Dad, Rooks, Guard Male, 35-40, white	male	35-40	Male, 35-40, white
Belinda, Tina, La Dj, Wendy White, Polly, Policewoman Female, 35-40, white	female	35-40	Female, 35-40, white
Calvin “Savage” James Male, 36-40, Black	male	36-40	Male, 36-40, Black