Synopsis
The Death of a Black Man
Published by Methuen Drama
2 Male 1 Female
It’s 1973 and the West Indies have spectacularly beaten England at their own game, in their own backyard
Shakie, an 18-year-old super-savvy wheeler-dealer, is in his element - and not just because of the cricket
Life is good
His furniture business is making serious money and he owns a flat on the King’s Road, the epicentre of everything that’s cool
Moreover, his best friend Stumpie has come up with a plan to crack the booming music industry together - the possibilities are endless so when Shakie’s ex-lover Jackie arrives at the Chelsea flat, the trio toast the future
The champagne is flowing and ambition is running sky high - but how far will they go, and who will they sacrifice, in their quest to be rich beyond their wildest dreams?
The Death of a Black Man received its world premiere at the Hampstead Theatre in 1975
Forty-six years on, Alfred Fagon’s darkly compelling drama, with its witty and complex characters, remains compulsive viewing today