...And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi explained
...And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi is a 2004 play by Marcus Gardley. The play is a re-imagining of the Greek myth of Persephone and Demeter.[1]
Plot
...And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi is set on the banks of the Mississippi River during the Civil War. A lynched African-American man named Damascus is immediately resurrected as a woman named Demeter, who only has three days to find her daughter Po'em and transmit her song before she has to return to death.[2]
Characters
The Quilter
- Miss Ssippi is a beautifully large, black woman. She gives new meaning to the word elegance, although she appears over-worked and always on the run.
The Threads
- Free Girl is ten, half black and half white. Her face is caked in white powder and her hair is always tied up. She wears a tea dress.
- Blanche Verse or Blanchie is also ten and white. She wears short pants and an old army vest, which hangs loosely on her.
- Cadence Marie Verse is Blanche's mother. She is white and old enough to be embarrassed by her age. She is always dolled up: blush on the cheeks, rouge on the lips and gin on the tongue.
- Jean Verse is a thin, white romantic. He wears a white silk shirt, Confederate slacks and a dark fedora. His voice is like the wind; it caters to the trees.
- Demeter is old enough to die wise. She is black, with silver her hair and smooth skin. She is built like a good man, one who's been fighting all her life. She wears a tattered petticoat, ripped slacks and a headscarf. Damascus is her former being.
- Yankee Pot Roast is juicy, with much fat hanging off him. He is white and red all over.
- Jesus is black, a warm beauty. He wears sandals and a robe. The actor that plays him also plays The Great Tree.
- Brer Rabit is the House Negro.[3]
Influence
The play is based on the story of Persephone and her mother, the goddess of the harvest Demeter.[4]
Notes and References
- Web site: ...and Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi. The Cutting Ball Theater. June 9, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20091102074134/http://cuttingball.com/season/09-10/and-jesus-moonwalks-the-missisippi/. November 2, 2009. dead.
- Web site: Sam. Hurwitt. March 24, 2010. Review: Fate and fable converge while Jesus moonwalks. June 9, 2014. marinij.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20140714203418/http://www.marinij.com/lifestyles/ci_14752890. 2014-07-14. dead.
- Marcus Gardley ...And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi
- Web site: Laura. Strong. The Myth of Persephone: Greek Goddess of the Underworld. June 9, 2014. Mythic Arts. June 15, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140615124002/http://www.mythicarts.com/writing/Persephone.html. dead.
