THE STORY: Ten years before the time of the play The Mighty Gents had been a power in the streets of the Newark black ghetto—proud, feared and sure of the promise of the future. But now, at thirty, the glory years are gone, and the few Gents who still acknowledge their leader, Frankie, are mired in slum defeatism and a sense of nowhere to go. Unemployed and bitter, they hang around street cor-ners guzzling wine and cracking jokes and deriding the two characters who symbolize what are, in truth, the only alternatives really left to them: the drunken derelict, Zeke, and the flashy small-time racketeer, Braxton. In a desperate attempt to resurrect The Mighty Gents, Frankie takes his men on one final raid—the robbery (and accidental murder) of Braxton. But, in the electrifying conclusion of the play, their brief victory turns to ashes and ends in the destruction of Frankie, brought about, ironically, by the de-spised and rejected Zeke.
This arresting, moving play tells the story of a black youth gang, once proud and hopeful, now shabby and filled with despair.
“This harrowing and unforgettable drama marks the Broadway debut of one of America’s finest young playwrights.” —Cue Magazine.
“A fascinating play…It knows no color—it is just about people who have seen the dawn go down like sunset.” —New York Post.
“…a playwright of sensitivity and with insights into humankind that transcend color.” —New York Daily News.
“…a vivid and sobering drama, passionately written and eloquently acted.” —Variety.
