Biography

Poet, novelist, playwright, librettist, essayist, and translator, James Mercer Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri on February 1, 1902 to parents Caroline (Carrie) Mercer Langston, a school teacher, and James Nathaniel Hughes, an attorney. His parents separated before Langston was born and he spent his pre-adolescent years with his maternal grandmother, Mary Patterson Langston, in Lawrence, Kansas. 

Rather than acquiesce to his domineering father’s demands that he pursue a degree in mining engineering, Langston moved to New York City and enrolled in Columbia University. Hughes quit Columbia after a year and decided to acquire a more worldly education. In 1922, he began a two-year stint as a ship’s crewman, during which he traveled to, and spent considerable time in, western Africa, France, and Italy. He also briefly lived in the expatriate community in London, England before returning to the United States in November 1924 to live with his mother in Washington, D.C. 

In 1926, Hughes enrolled in Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) and earned a liberal arts degree in 1930. While in college, Hughes often returned to Harlem where he became a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes deeply believed that black art should represent the experiences and culture of the black “folk.” Images of rural and urban working-class African Americans filled his poetry and prose, and his writing celebrated blues and jazz culture. (Full Bio)

Plays

MULE BONE: A COMEDY OF NEGRO LIFE (1930)

Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes’s energetic and frequently farcical play centers on Jim and Dave, a two-man song-and-dance team; and Daisy, the woman who drives a wedge between them. Jim and Dave have been best friends all their lives but when they both start courting Daisy, tensions flare. Finally overcome by jealousy, Jim hits Dave with the hock bone from a mule and knocks him out. Jim is arrested and brought to a make-shift trial by the town’s mayor and self-appointed judge, Joe Clarke. Hilarity ensues, swiftly followed by chaos as the town splits into two opposing factions: the Methodists, who want to pardon Jim; and the Baptists, who are keen to banish him for his crime. As the trial comes to close and Jim is banished from his hometown, Daisy is finally forced to make her choice between the two men. However, her expectations for her future husband bring Jim and Dave to their senses and they return to Eatonville, vowing to never let a woman between them again. (Source)

Cast Requirement: 43+ (21f, 22m)

Characters: Jim Weston, Dave Carter, Daisy Taylor, Joe Clarke, Elder Simms, Elder Childers, Katie Carter, Mrs. Mattie Clarke, Mrs. Reverend Simms, Mrs. Reverend Childers, Lum Boger, Teets Miller, Lige Mosely, Walter Thomas, Ada Lewis, Della Lewis, Bootsie Pitts, Mrs. Dilcie Anderson, Willie Nixon, Hambo, Goodwin, Brazzle, Cody, Jones, Sam Moseley, Taylor, Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Jake Roberts, Voice of Mrs. Moseley, Senator Bailey, Boy, Little Matilda, Old Man, Frank Warrick, Old Woman, Sister Thomas, Sister Jones, Mary Ella, Sister Pitts, Sister Lucas, Mrs. Hambo, Mrs. Nixon, Mrs. Blunt, Children

Publication: Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life. Edited by George Houston Bass and Henry Louis Gates Jr. Harper Perennial, 1991. (Link)

MULATTO (1935)

Plantation owner Colonel Thomas Norwood is a relic of the Old South; even before his wife died, he began an affair with his Black housekeeper, Cora Lewis. He fathered four children with her, but denies that any of them are his children. However, the youngest son Robert is determined to force Norwood to recognize him, his brother William, and his sisters Sallie and Bertha. But Robert’s ambition is not without cost–after an incident in town in which Robert fights with a white woman, Norwood is furious. The two men argue while Cora stands helplessly by, and Robert ultimately kills his father. A lynch mob is formed, and Robert is on the run through the swamps and backroads. Black men and women hide by seeking sanctuary in the church as the mob’s murderous fervor grows. But Cora refuses to leave the plantation house, and makes a hiding spot for her son when he returns. When Robert shows up, the mob close behind, they both know that there is only one way for him to escape their punishment. A heart wrenching indictment of racial injustice and cruelty. (Source)

Cast Requirement: 12+ (2f, 10m) 

Characters: Colonel Thomas Norwood, Cora Lewis, William Lewis, Sallie Lewis, Robert Lewis, Mr. Fred Higgins, Sam, Livonia, Billy, Talbot, Mose, A Storekeeper, A White Undertaker, The Undertaker’s Helper, The Leader of the Mob 

Publication: Five Plays. Edited by Webster Smalley. Indiana University Press, 1964. (Link)

LITTLE HAM (1936) 

Influenced by the popular screwball comedies of the time, Langston Hughes’ Little Ham showcases the chaotic and convoluted life of its title character. A lady’s man, Little Ham finds himself in a predicament of a love triangle he clumsily navigates throughout the play. Already in a relationship, he meets a beauty parlor owner named Tiny Lee, becomes enamored and promises to escort her to a Charleston contest the next evening. He then purchases a stolen coat for Tiny, wins the numbers, and gets a job as a numbers runner. Little Ham goes to Tiny’s shop only to find that his old girlfriend is there and an altercation breaks out, ending in Little Ham’s arrest. He figures out a way to get out of jail and reunite with Tiny at the Charleston contest.

Cast Requirement: 41+

Characters: Madam Lucille Ball, Shingle, Customer, Janitor, Sugar Lou Bird, Little Ham, Mattie Bea, Old Lady, Shabby Man, Boss Leroy, Man in Boots, Tiny Lee, Little Boy, First Detective, Second Detective, Youth, Jasper, West Indian, Deaconess, Tall Guy, Hot Stuff Man, Masculine Lady, Pretty Woman, Newsboy, Butch, Jiggers, Dutch, Opal, Lulu, Mama, Snooks, Staid Lady, Missouri, Lodge Lady, Divinite, Delivery Boy, A Cop, Nelson, Jack, Gilbert, Master of Ceremonies, Beribboned Committee Members, Dancers, Orchestra

Publication: Five Plays. Edited by Webster Smalley. Indiana University Press, 1964. (Link)

SOUL GONE HOME (1937) 

A short comedic one-act, Soul Gone Home depicts a mother mourning her son on his deathbed. However, the son's spirit comes to life to berate his mother for letting him die. He blames her for not having enough money to buy food and ultimately causing his tuberculosis. She begins to argue with him about how he's been a bad son, too sick to work and then dying as soon as he's old enough to start helping. 

Cast Requirement: 4 (1f, 3m)

Characters: The Son, The Mother, Two Men

Publication: Five Plays. Edited by Webster Smalley. Indiana University Press, 1964. (Link)

DON’T YOU WANT TO BE FREE (1938)

Don’t You Want to Be Free? chronicles the history of African American oppression and rebellion from slavery to the Great Depression. A poetic drama, the piece features a narrator who breaks the fourth wall to guide the audience through the different eras. The characters morph into various iterations of the oppressor and the oppressed and tell the story of inequality and unfair labor practices in America. The play blends dialogue with verse and song to emphasize injustice and emotionally appeal to all Americans to organize against exploitative forces.

Cast Requirement: 14+ (6f, 8m)

Characters: A Young Man, A Boy, A Girl, A Woman, A Man, An Old Woman, An Old Man, An Overseer, A Mulatto Girl, A Wife, A Husband, A Laundry Worker, A Member of the Audience, Two Newsboys, Voices, A Chorus

Publication: Black Theatre USA: Plays by African Americans. Edited by James V. Hatch and Ted Shine. Free Press, 1996. (Link)

SIMPLY HEAVENLY (1957)

At Paddy’s Bar in Harlem, an array of friends and neighbors gather to drink, laugh, and tell stories. Dockworker Bodiddly and his wife Arcie escape their 17 children, if only for a few hours. Watermelon Joe proclaims his undying affection for the independent and intimidating Mamie, who rebukes him every time. Bartender Hopkins listens to their troubles and cares, while the Pianist and Gitfiddle entertain the patrons. At the center of this activity is Jess Simple, a charming working-class fellow who is in love with Joyce Lane. But Jess has two problems: first, he hasn’t saved up enough money to divorce his first wife, whom he hasn’t seen in years; second, he is the target of Zarita, the neighborhood barfly and party girl, whose charms and persuasions he finds irresistible. (Source)

Cast Requirement: 17 (7f, 10m)

Characters: Joyce Lane, Melon, Mrs. Caddy, Nurse, Party Guest, Zarita, Big Boy, Cop, Madam Butler, Boyd, John Jasper, Character, Gitfiddle, Mamie, Bodiddly, Bar Pianist, Simple, Hopkins, Arcie

Publication: Five Plays. Edited by Webster Smalley. Indiana University Press, 1964. (Link)

BLACK NATIVITY (1961) 

Black Nativity creates a retelling of a classic holiday story through an African American lens and characters. It recounts the birth of Jesus with traditional carols and songs all reconceived in the gospel style. Hughes infuses African American culture into every aspect of the musical’s narrative, dialogue, and score.

Cast Requirement: 14+ (3f, 10m, 1any)

Characters: Woman, Man, Singers, Narrator, Old Woman, Ned, Zed, Ted, Jed, Elder, Joseph, Mary, Balthazar, Melchior, Caspar

Publication: Black Nativity: A Gospel Song Play. Dramatic Publishing Company, 1992. (Link)

TAMBOURINES TO GLORY (1963)

Essie Belle Johnson and Laura Reed live in adjoining tenement flats, adrift on public relief. Essie wants to somehow earn enough money to reunite with her daughter and provide her with a nice home; Laura loves young men, mink coats, and fine Scotch. On a day of inspiration, the friends decide to use a thrift-store tambourine and a layaway Bible to start a church. But then Laura falls for Buddy, a scam artist who suggests selling to the faithful lucky numbers from Scripture and bottles of tap water as “Holy Water from the Jordan.” Even with a Cadillac and piles of money from Laura, Buddy won’t stay faithful, igniting a crime of passion and betrayal. (Source)

Cast Requirement: 16+ 

Characters: Laura Wright Reed, Essie Belle Johnson, Marietta Johnson, Big-Eyed Buddy Lomax, Gloria Dawn, CJ Moore, Birdie Lee, Chicken-Crow-For-Day, Mattie Morningside, Lucy Mae Hobbs, Brother Bud, Charlie Windus, Jow Green, Ministers of Music, Deacons, Bartender, Waiter, Prison Warden, Policemen, The Glorietta, Tambourine Choir, Cabaret Patrons, Passer-By

Publication: Five Plays. Edited by Webster Smalley. Indiana University Press, 1964. (Link)

THE PRODIGAL SON (1965)

In The Prodigal Son, Langston Hughes creates a musical exploration of the well-known biblical story of the same name. He modernizes the tale, blending it with his contemporary sensibilities and language. The story centers on a son who leaves his family, setting out to see the world. He comes to understand the harsh realities and temptations of life before he returns home. 

Cast Requirement: 14+ (6f, 8m)

Characters: Narrator, Father, Mother, Prodigal Son, Innkeeper, Beggars, Magician, Strumpet, Jezebel, Dancers, Housekeeper Anna, 1st Servant, 2nd Servant, 3rd Servant, Broker, Merchant, Money Lender, Farmer, Helper, Exhorter, Sister, Peasants, Foreman, Digger, Waterboy, Singers

Publication: The Prodigal Son. Alexander Street Press, 2005. (Link)*

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