Jan 4, 2010
The “theater” of the title is Howard Theater, an urban cabaret in the 1920's, set amid the “life of nigger alleys, of pool rooms and restaurants and near-beer saloons.” As its afternoon rehearsal begins, the manager's brother John sits in the center of the theater and watches. He is a light-skinned African American, educated, urbane, and conscious of his social status.
The chorus girls themselves hold no interest for John. He coldly contemplates them and rejects them. They are beautiful, but beneath him socially; all of their movements are studied and...
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