Moon on a Rainbow Shawl

by Errol John

Esther - if yer have yer head screw on right - No matter where yer go - One night - some time - Yer reach up - yer touch that moon. For the teeming populace of Old Mack's cacophonous yard in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, it's a cheek by jowl existence lived out on a sweltering public stage. Snatches of calypso compete with hymn tunes, drums and street cries as neighbours drink, brawl, pass judgment, make love, look out for each other and crave a better life. But Ephraim is no dreamer and nothing, not even the seductive Rosa, is going to stop him escaping his dead-end job for a fresh start in England.Set as returning troops from the Second World War fill the town with their raucous celebrations, Erroll John's Moon on a Rainbow Shawl depicts a vibrant, cosmopolitan world that is as harsh as it is filled with colour and warmth.'A brawling, laughing, bitter sense of life courses through Moon on a Rainbow Shawl. Errol John fills the stage with people of flesh and blood; he communicates the harshness and tension in this steaming, crowded corner of Port-of-Spain. He writes with such warmth and understanding that the problems and characters of a mean backyard in Trinidad assume a validity for a multitude of teeming, troubled places on this planet.' New York Times

Genres: Plays, Literature

112 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1958

About the author

Trinidadian-born actor and playwright who wrote Moon on a Rainbow Shawl (1958), for which he won The Observer’s prize for best new playwright in 1957 and a Guggenheim fellowship in 1958.

John, a founding member of the Whitehall Players in Port of Spain, pursued his acting career from 1950 in London, where he found himself relegated to playing minor black characters, with the notable exception of his performance in the title role in Othello at the Old Vic Theatre (1962). His play Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, about a man’s struggle to escape an impoverished Port of Spain slum, was produced first in London in 1958 and then revised for a production in New York City in 1962. It was later performed in such diverse countries as Iceland, Hungary, and Argentina, and it became required reading in many West Indian schools. His other plays included The Tout (1966) and Force Majeure, The Dispossessed, Hasta Luego: Three Screenplays (1967). For television he wrote The Emperor Jones (1953), Teleclub (1954), and Dawn (1963). He appeared on London stages in Salome (1954), The Merchant of Venice (1962), and Measure for Measure (1963), as well as in such films as The African Queen (1951), The Nun’s Story (1959), and Guns at Batasi (1964).

Reviews

[ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

i probably wouldve enjoyed this a lot more if i wasnt forced to read it :/ many such cases

[tumi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this play was released in the 1950s, I truly believe its storyline is timeless. Especially with the increase in the use of social media, the amount of propaganda we consume is unfathomable, and the dream of having the 'perfect life' you dreamed of outside of your country continues to live on. Errol John uses the moon as a symbol of the duality of chasing your dreams as well as the drive to achieve them. Even those who come from places of privilege often find themselves chasing for something unachievable. I feel as if this play puts the audience in a position to analyse their own lives and how they unconsciously find themselves striving for something they can also achieve in their home country. Ephraim could have easily remained in Trinidad and accepted his promotion to inspection and take care of he and Rosa's child. However, he chose to move to Liverpool and leave everything behind. As much as we can criticise Ephrasim, he truly believes that the yard is holding him back from his potential, and the people he was surrounded by did not aid him with making the decision to leave. Mavis, the yard protitute, and Charlie failed crickey batter. This is a classic piece of literature that is simply timeless.

[B Sarv · Rating 5 out of 5]

This period piece set in post WWII Trinidad was an interesting look into the life and times of people struggling to survive in that era. It was a short play with interesting dialogue. The remarkable thing is how little things have changed.

The play dealt with issues of prostitution, theft, abandonment, "sugar daddys" and many things that are still extant in societies all over the world today. It did so in the light of the times for which it was written and the play brought gave one pause about many of those issues. Mainly, what women go through to survive when feeling that sense of abandonment.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very into the WEATHER in this one.

[Marcel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in class as apart of the AICE English LIT Course!!! Was really fun to read in class😭 I have the same english teacher as last year and having him as my teacher again for a different class was so unexpected and AWESOME!! I read as Charlie Adams for one day.. lol.. but it was the part where he battled racism so I had to read a lot LOL but it was actually really fun. I enjoyed it a lot! back to writing tho… sigh-

[Iñaki · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5?

no sé que pensar honestamente...... muy nada...... eso sí, ephraim que te ocurre quien te hirió...


segunda leída: 3 estrellitas
honestanente ahora la siento mejor xq en clases me quedaba dormido jsdjjfjsdj bueno em me gustó pero no es mi favorita... ephraim queeeee??? que te ocurre??? also la esther me dio mucha pena pobre bebé...

[Alieyah fredicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so helpful swing that this is the book we're doing for English ' B'.

[Andrew Paul]

I like to read this book

[Marianna Gansawh]

Its good

[Elle Reads Books Like]

University reading

[Mila · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Bia · Rating 4 out of 5]

~ actual rating: 3.75

[Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immersive, tragic and insightful into a poor neighbourhood in Trinidad during the mid-1940s

[Moriesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending to the play was something I WAS NOT expecting. The shacking up of Old Mack and Rosa is crazy.

[Jerboaz‼️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just need to pass AICE English Literature

[Raeanna Mitchell]

U

[Schkla Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very exiting, I loved it.

[Leslie (updates on SG) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, like a Trinidadian version of a Tennessee Williams play. I find it interesting how the Casting Notes recommend using actors of various complexions.

[Deidre King]

nice book

[Emmanuel Willis]

love it