Synopsis
The Sunset Limited
Published by Dramatists Play Service
2 Male 0 Female
Now, the reformed murderer-turned-savior ventures to offer salvation of another kind, bringing the failed suicide victim back to his Harlem apartment for an articulate and moving debate about truth, fiction and belief
The two men are named Black and White, as indeed they are
White is disillusioned and disenchanted by the modern world
Black had an epiphany after a nasty knife fight in the penitentiary and discovered a faith that he now wants to share with others, or at least with White
Black begins in control, but it quickly becomes clear that the nonbeliever is much more secure in his convictions than the believer
And when White goes on the attack, his nihilism steamrolls his opponent
Is Black a guardian angel or just a sinner looking for redemption? Was White really saved, or is he stuck in a kind of purgatory?
Winner of the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award
"McCarthy meditates on creation, stares at it. He does not look past appearances, he looks through themthe world is set before us with fever-dream clarity ... and then, with simile and metaphor, he sweeps everything into profound animation" ~ New Republic