Scan barcode
mistylloyd's review against another edition
4.0
Very slow book to make it through, but you will be better for finishing it.
fiendfull's review against another edition
4.0
Sweet Tea: A Play is the stage adaptation of Johnson's oral history of black gay men from America's South, which was originally performed as a one-man show by Johnson himself. The text tells stories from the lives of eleven men and one gender non-conforming person, with themes links together by a central authorial figure who is trying to tell his own story by hearing others' stories. The published edition goes into detail about character and staging and includes production photos, bringing to life these oral histories as much as possible.
The play is a powerful piece that combines the stories of those interviewed by Johnson with his own life in a skilful way, getting across not only complicated situations, but the complicated ways in which people tell their own stories, or need to hear about others' experiences to be able to formulate their own into words. In this way, as a play it enacts the very effect it could have on those watching or reading it, constantly reminding you of the importance of sharing diverse stories, not only in terms of marginalised groups, but in terms of diverse stories from within particular groups or intersections of identities. Even reading the text, it came alive with different voices, and the detailed staging notes made it easier to imagine how it would work, but the text does really make you want to experience the play in performance.
The play is a powerful piece that combines the stories of those interviewed by Johnson with his own life in a skilful way, getting across not only complicated situations, but the complicated ways in which people tell their own stories, or need to hear about others' experiences to be able to formulate their own into words. In this way, as a play it enacts the very effect it could have on those watching or reading it, constantly reminding you of the importance of sharing diverse stories, not only in terms of marginalised groups, but in terms of diverse stories from within particular groups or intersections of identities. Even reading the text, it came alive with different voices, and the detailed staging notes made it easier to imagine how it would work, but the text does really make you want to experience the play in performance.
More...