Summary
THE NEW “POLITICALLY INCORRECT” PLAY AT THE ENGLISH THEATRE OF HAMBURG
Von Uta Buhr
Before you say anything about racism in today’s United States of America, think twice! This is the message of Neil Labute’s play “This is how it goes.” Most of us naïve Europeans were of the opinion that racial prejudice between black and white Americans had long been abolished. We even thought that the New World could teach Europeans a lesson concerning racial harmony. However, Neil Labute boldly opens up old wounds und shows us that crude racism still lingers below the surface of Afro-Americans and white Americans alike.
The plot is set in small town America and deals with the repercussions of an interracial love triangle. Cheerleader Belinda, a pretty middle-class blonde, meets Cody, the star of the high school track team, falls in love with him and marries the black athlete. After school Cody starts a remarkable career as a successful businessman while Belinda stays at home with their two kids. Her life as stay-at-home mom and the delicate balance of her marriage with an Afro-American is troubled when a former high school friend – simply called “the man” in the play – turns up in town and rents the small apartment over the couple’s garage. “The man” comes up with embarrassing questions about who Belinda and Cody want to be, who they are and what made them that way. It soon becomes obvious that “the man” is deeply attracted by Belinda. This worries Cody who threatens to throw “the man” out of his house. Continue reading „English Theatre of Hamburg:“This is how it goes““
