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Paper: 06; Module No: 36: E Text Paper: 06; Module No: 36: E Text (A) Personal Details: Role Name Affiliation Principal Investigator: Prof. Tutun University of Mukherjee Hyderabad Paper Coordinator: Prof. T Vijay Kumar Osmania University, Hyderabad Content Writer: Dr. Alice Samson, NALSAR, Hyderabad Assistant Professor Content Reviewer: Prof. T. Vijay Osmania University Kumar Language Editor: Prof. T. Vijay Osmania University Kumar (B) Description of Module: Items Description of Module Subject Name: English Paper No & Name: Paper 06: African and Caribbean Writing in English Module No & Name: Module No.36 V. S. Naipaul: A House for Mr Biswas Errol John’s Moon on a Rainbow Shawl Pre-requisites: None Objectives: To Examine Eroll John’s Life and Work with Special reference Moon on a Rainbow Shawl Key Words: Eroll John, Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, Caribbean Play, Caribbean Prose Summary: The lesson, through a reading of Moon on the Rainbow Shawl, introduces the reader to the life and work of the Caribbean playwright Errol John. The lesson introduces the reader to various aspects of the play including its plot, and its main characters. It also contextualises the play as it discussed the situation in Trinidad. Module-I: Introduction to Moon on a Rainbow Shawl Moon on a Rainbow Shawl is a three act play which was published in 1957. The play was written by Trinidadian actor-playwright Errol John. Moon on the Rainbow Shawl is often considered as the ground-breaking play to have emerged out of a Caribbean mind. It was staged several times in England and is without doubt the most successful play which was authored by a black man. In 1957 it was premiered in the Royal Court Theatre and was immediately hailed as a great play. The play won Errol John instant fame and several awards including the prestigious The Observer’s Prize for the best new playwright in 1957 and the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1958. In 1958, the play’s radio adaptation titled Small Island Moon was broadcast on the BBC. In 1962, an American version of the play was released and was staged in the New York City. Set in the city of Port of Spain, the capital of the small island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, the play opens on a hot, late evening in the yard of two dilapidated buildings. The play Moon on a Rainbow Shawl depicts the struggle of a man to escape an impoverished Port of Spain slum. The play was later performed in such diverse locations including Australia, Iceland, Hungary, and Argentina. It has been prescribed in several courses in various countries in the Caribbean region. Since it inception, the play has been staged several times, in various spaces across the world. The play’s popularity and relevance have outlived its author. It has won new fans among the current generation of theatre lovers. Moon on a Rainbow Shawl contains a tragicomic plot and the action takes place in the post- war setting of Old Macs Yard in Port of Spain, Trinidad. It focuses on the complex relationships between the members of the Adams family, the struggle of tram driver Ephraim, who dreams of moving to England to escape the impoverished slums, and the dreams of Rosa. The Second World War has just ended and soldiers are returning home. The play also throws light on the socio-economic condition of the island. The cramped claustrophobia of the location and heightened tension recall the simmering, kitchen-sink melodrama of various American playwrights including Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller. Bringing to life a multitude of stories, featuring a diverse range of characters, sounds (including calypsos, children’s rhymes and every day cacophony), and the play is a vibrant but harsh evocation of the hardship of poverty, faded dreams, and regret in a post-war Trinidadian society. Module-II: Introduction to Errol John Errol John was born in Port of Spain on 20 December 1924. He was home-schooled and began to work as an artist and a journalist. However, he found his true calling as an actor and an artist and decided to pursue a career in theatre. Hence, he joined the Whitehall Theatre Group in Trinidad. Post the Second World War, he intended to migrate to England and in 1951 he arrived in London. In London he continued to work as an actor. He acted in several productions including Salome (1954), and The Member of the Wedding. The Member of the Wedding was authored by Carson McMullers and was staged at the Royal Court Theatre. The production was directed by Tony Richardson. He was noted for his performance of Shakespearean characters and acted in The Merchant of Venice, Measure for Measure and Othello. He won critical acclaim for essaying the role of Othello. While in London, Errol tried his luck in movies and played small rolls in several films including The African Queen (1951), The Heart of the Matter (1953), The Emperor Jones (1953), Simba, The Nun’s Story (1959) and Guns at Batasi (1964). He found indirect employment with the BBC and gained a major role in the series A Man from the Sun (1956), No Hiding Place (BBC, 1961) and the five-part series Rainbow City. Errol John’s debut as a playwright was inauspicious. His first play The Tout (1949) which was written in Trinidad was very unsuccessful. His second play Moon on a Rainbow Shawl achieved iconic status as a classic of Caribbean theatre. Post the success of the Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, Errol wrote Force Majeure, The Dispossessed and Hasta Luego: Three Screenplays (1967). He also wrote the screenplay for Teleclub (1954), and Dawn (1963) and The Exiles. The Exiles was a part of the Wednesday Play series which was produced by the BBC. In 1960s as Moon on a Rainbow Shawl became popular in the United States, Errol sought to work in the Hollywood. However, he was unsuccessful as a movie star and was limited to minor roles in few films including Assault on a Queen and Buck and Preacher. He returned to England in 1970 and settled in Camden, London. He passed away on July 10, 1988 in London. Posthumously, the government of Trinidad and Tobago honoured him with the Chaconia Medal for Drama. Module-III: Action in Moon on a Rainbow Shawl The play is divided into three Acts, which are further divided into two scenes each. The setting of the play is within two dilapidated buildings in downtown Port of Spain. The action in the play takes place within three days. In the opening scene titled the ‘Moon Rise’ of the opening act of the play Ephraim (sometimes also called Eph) is returning from his work as a trolleybus driver. The night is hot and the full moon is up in the sky. Ephraim briefly talks to Ketch, the local calypso artist as he approaches the two dilapidated buildings. He splashes water on his face at the public tap and stops to converse with Esther Adams. Esther’s parents, Charlie Adams and Sophia Adams have left her at home to take care of her newborn brother. Esther is a very intelligent and studious girl who has just won a scholarship to attend a better school. Ephraim and Esther discuss how her family cannot afford to send her to high school. The baby cries and Ephraim says “Dream your dreams little man, dream your dreams’. Though Ephraim is secretly envious of Esther’s youth and the opportunity she has to make a better life for herself than he has, encourages her. He tells her that one of these nights he will take Esther and Rosa to the concert. He urges Esther to ‘One night, sometime reach up, touch that moon”, before moving to his room. Sophia arrives and chastises her daughter Esther, for staying outdoors late into might. Rosa, who is the girl friend of Ephraim, arrives home. She is accompanied by Old Mack who is both her employer and landlord. Old Mack drops to his knees and pleads Rosa to accept his gifts. As Old Mack leaves Rosa, Sophia catches up with Rosa. Sophia warns Rosa against indulging Old Mack. She reminds Rosa that she has to speak to Ephraim. Rosa goes to Ephraim’s room. Ephraim asks her to leave his room. He is pensive and is smoking a cigarette. In the second scene of Act One, titled ‘Next Morning’, Esther wants to go out and play with her friends. Sophia refuses Esther the permission to go out and reminds her that they are a poor household without any help. Rosa comes home and informs Sophia that some money has been stolen from Old Mack’s café. Sophia chuckles on hearing about Old Mack’s misfortune and adds this comment about Old Mack’s misfortune. “Thief from thief, child, does make Jehovah laugh and I is only a mere mortal. The way he robbing us here with the rent on these nasty little rooms. Serve him blasted right!”. Rosa looks out for Ephraim, but he is avoiding her. Rosa is summoned back to the café. Ephraim walks out of his room and speaks to Sophia. The iceman passes by and Ephraim exclaims that “That Iceman so warm! He don’t know. He don’t know! But the only ice I feeling for now is SNOW!”. Sophia feels that Ephraim is up to something but is not able to figure out his scheme. Prince, a loud entrepreneur, who is smitten by Mavis enters the building. Mavis is a prostitute who entertains the soldiers. Sophia and Mavis do not get along with each other. Charlie Adams, the always drunk, former cricketer and Sophia’s husband arrives.
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