Reviews for Home Coming at Kudzu U

The average rating for Home Coming at Kudzu U based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-11-27 00:00:00 James Parisi Jr. Thurman Wallace was a prolific writer, publishing novels and stories during his short life. I searched out this volume for the handful of plays he wrote, mostly in collaboration with William Rapp, a white publisher. Only two plays survive - some are believed to be lost. Although not as well known as the rest of the Harlem Renaissance writers (he died at age 32), his plays presented a view of African American life that was neither idealized or patronizing. The characters are well formed and on a whole they possess vitality and energy. The dialogue aims at reproduces the slang and manner of real speech, particularly in Harlem. One wonders what Wallace might have done had he lived longer and had more time to hone his playwriting skills. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say his works near Eugene O'Neill's plays at the time. (O'Neill's experimentation in expressionism may give him a slight edge.) That said, Wallace's plays deserved to be performed and read more widely. Harlem: A Melodrama of Negro Life **** - This is an unknown treasure. At a time when quality American theatre consisted of a handful of plays by O'Neill and a few musicals, Harlem provides an insightful and unvarnished view of life in Harlem. It depicts the struggle between generations, the crippling effects of racism, and the challenges faced by southern blacks moving into the northern cities. It possesses vivid characters and language and an unidealized, unsensationalized portrait of the community's people and their failings. I don't know if there are any grand themes in the work, but its wide range of lively characters make it instantly engaging. Jeremiah, The Magnificant *** - This the story of the fall of a charismatic black leader, based on the life of Marcus Garvey. Jeremiah is a religious leader, hailed as an emperor among his followers. Jeremiah is presented with all his charisma and his faults. He's presented as genuinely committed to his cause, but his egotism and grand airs prevent him from seeing the perfidy of his flatterers. Overall, the play is very good, but the complexities of Jeremiah's role as spiritual leader could have been explored more deeply. And the villain, Grayson, is a bit flat. Other than greed, we don't get much motivation from him. Unlike Harlem, the language is a bit "stagey" and less colloquial. But this is still a powerful play with an unjaded and unromantic view of African American and mankind in general. It deserves to be more widely known.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-05-29 00:00:00 Bill Bridger Fascinating...Wallace Thurman, a gay black man born in Salt Lake City, one of the foremost members of the "Black Renaissance." Did much of his best writing back in Utah, though his opinion of the state/city/community was ambivalent. Shamefully unrecognized among American essayists, playwrights, novelists, and critics. READ WALLACE THURMAN.