Outrageous One Act Plays

Rating:
Summary: A walk on the theatrical wild side
Review: "Outrageous One Act Plays" by Miguel Pinero brings together six stage pieces by this important Puerto Rican playwright. While the collection as a whole is uneven, Pinero's unique vision and artistry are evident in the book's best moments.

Pinero mixes Black, Caucasian, Latino, and Jewish characters -- both straight and gay -- in a variety of situations. He deals with some pretty raw subject matter: drug use, violence, crime, anti-gay prejudice, prostitution, etc. His language is filled with racial and anti-gay slurs, as well as a lot of words you won't be hearing on network TV anytime soon. He sometimes mixes in Spanish dialogue (especially in the final play, "Tap Dancing and Bruce Lee Kicks").

The best of this bunch is "Paper Toilet," a hilarious satire about the sexual thrill seekers, criminals, and police officers that frequent a public toilet in the New York City subway. This play has some great comic moments, and throughout there is a delicious sense of absurdism. Another interesting selection is "The Guntower," basically a 2-person drama that takes place on the guntower of an American prison.

On the whole, I felt that this collection lacks the power and depth of Pinero's great full-length play "Short Eyes." But despite the unevenness of the book, there are some stunning moments, such as one character's graphic, painful account of being gang-raped. "Outrageous" is definitely worth a try, especially for those with an interest in Puerto Rican/Nuyorican writing.

Rating:
Summary: A walk on the theatrical wild side
Review: "Outrageous One Act Plays" by Miguel Pinero brings together six stage pieces by this important Puerto Rican playwright. While the collection as a whole is uneven, Pinero's unique vision and artistry are evident in the book's best moments.

Pinero mixes Black, Caucasian, Latino, and Jewish characters -- both straight and gay -- in a variety of situations. He deals with some pretty raw subject matter: drug use, violence, crime, anti-gay prejudice, prostitution, etc. His language is filled with racial and anti-gay slurs, as well as a lot of words you won't be hearing on network TV anytime soon. He sometimes mixes in Spanish dialogue (especially in the final play, "Tap Dancing and Bruce Lee Kicks").

The best of this bunch is "Paper Toilet," a hilarious satire about the sexual thrill seekers, criminals, and police officers that frequent a public toilet in the New York City subway. This play has some great comic moments, and throughout there is a delicious sense of absurdism. Another interesting selection is "The Guntower," basically a 2-person drama that takes place on the guntower of an American prison.

On the whole, I felt that this collection lacks the power and depth of Pinero's great full-length play "Short Eyes." But despite the unevenness of the book, there are some stunning moments, such as one character's graphic, painful account of being gang-raped. "Outrageous" is definitely worth a try, especially for those with an interest in Puerto Rican/Nuyorican writing.