the original 1859 "octoroon" story is based on the incredibly racist and discomforting performance tradition of minstrelsy-with bjj at the reigns spinning this story on its head and framing it for a contemporary 2010 audience. there's a scene in the beginning where the character of bjj (our playwright) LITERALLY putting on white-face in front of the audience for what feels like eternity. what makes this text so valuable is how uncomfortable it makes its audience feel when confronted with these sensitive racial issues. my prof was careful in the way she introduced this text to us because of how sensitive the material in this play was, and instead of inhibiting my enjoyment of the critique found in the text, i found myself thinking about the bigger questions this play asks of its audience. This was my first introduction to bjj's genius and witty depiction of american hypocrisy.
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