Short Eyes (play)
Encyclopedia
Short Eyes is a 1974 drama
written by playwright
Miguel Piñero
. The play premiered off-Broadway
at the Joseph Papp Public Theater
on 28 February 1974, and transferred after 54 performances to the Vivian Beaumont Theatre
on Broadway
on 23 May 1974. Short Eyes, prison slang for a pedophile, was written for a prisoners' writing workshop during Pinero's incarceration for armed robbery.
It is eventually revealed that the police's case against Davis is weak, and it is a matter of time before he is released. This puts Juan in a difficult position: on one hand, he feels a grudging pity for Davis, and "snitching" on another prisoner, even one as despised as Davis, could get him killed; on the other, there is no doubt in his mind that Davis will "scar up some more little girls' minds" if released. Before he can decide what to do, however, Davis is ambushed and killed by the other prisoners.
The play also revolves around other features of prison life, such as the day-to-day attempts to accumulate privileges from the guards and "rap sessions" in which prisoners joke, flirt, and threaten each other.
in Manhattan
. Theater impresario Joseph Papp
saw the play and was so impressed that he moved the production to Broadway
. The play was nominated for six Tony Awards. It won the New York Critics Circle Award and an Obie Award
for the "best play of the year". The play was also a success in Europe, and catapulted Piñero to literary
fame. Short Eyes was published in book form by the editorial house Hill & Yang.
Walter Kerr
of The New York Times
said it was "promising" but "not yet freed from its initial debt to life."
s, such as Bruce Davison
as Davis, Piñero as Go-Go (a character not featured in the original play), and Luis Guzmán
in a small supporting role. Curtis Mayfield
composed and performed the acclaimed soundtrack, that included one of his last hit songs, "Do Do Wap (Is Strong in Here)."
Awards
Nominations
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
written by playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
Miguel Piñero
Miguel Piñero
Miguel Piñero was a Puerto Rican playwright, actor, and co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café. He was a leading member of the Nuyorican literary movement.-Early years:...
. The play premiered off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
at the Joseph Papp Public Theater
Public Theater
The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as The Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers. It is headquartered at 425 Lafayette Street in the former Astor Library in the East Village...
on 28 February 1974, and transferred after 54 performances to the Vivian Beaumont Theatre
Vivian Beaumont Theatre
The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a theatre located in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The structure was designed by Finnish American architect Eero Saarinen, and Jo Mielziner was responsible for the design of the stage and interior.The Vivian...
on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
on 23 May 1974. Short Eyes, prison slang for a pedophile, was written for a prisoners' writing workshop during Pinero's incarceration for armed robbery.
Characters
- Clark Davis: a middle-class white man in his mid-twenties accused of rapingRapeRape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
a young girl. While it is never explicitly stated whether he committed the crime he is accused of, it is made clear that he is a pedophile who has molested several other children. - Juan Otero: A Puerto RicanPuerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
man in his early thirties. He is liked and respected by his fellow prisoners and the guards alike. - Cupcakes: A Puerto Rican "pretty boy" of 21 who is coveted by many of the House's convicts.
- Paco: A Puerto Rican drug addict with predatory designs on Cupcakes.
- Longshoe: A tough, hip IrishmanIrish peopleThe Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
in his mid-thirties, and the only white prisoner whom the black and Hispanic prisoners respect. He despises Davis. - Ice: A tough, angry black man in his late twenties.
- El Raheem: A militant Muslim who preaches the word of AllahAllahAllah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
to his fellow prisoners. - Omar: A black amateur boxer in his mid-twenties.
- Mr. Nett: An old-line prison guard who takes an immediate dislike to Davis.
- Captain Allard: Nett's superior officer. Imposing and machoMachoMacho typically refers to machismo. Other uses include:*Macho , a short-lived disco group in the late 1970s*Pique macho, Bolivian dish*Macho Man , a 1978 disco song performed by the Village People...
, he has little patience for the prisoners.
Plot summary
The play is set in an unnamed House of Detention in New York City, the prisoners of which are predominately black or Hispanic. One day, a new prisoner is brought in: Clark Davis, a young, middle-class white man accused of raping a young girl. His fellow prisoners immediately turn on him — child molesters are considered the lowest form of prison life — except for Juan, one of the institution's older prisoners, who treats him with dignity. While Davis insists he doesn't remember raping the girl, he admits that he has molested several other children.It is eventually revealed that the police's case against Davis is weak, and it is a matter of time before he is released. This puts Juan in a difficult position: on one hand, he feels a grudging pity for Davis, and "snitching" on another prisoner, even one as despised as Davis, could get him killed; on the other, there is no doubt in his mind that Davis will "scar up some more little girls' minds" if released. Before he can decide what to do, however, Davis is ambushed and killed by the other prisoners.
The play also revolves around other features of prison life, such as the day-to-day attempts to accumulate privileges from the guards and "rap sessions" in which prisoners joke, flirt, and threaten each other.
Reception
In 1974, the play was presented at Riverside ChurchRiverside Church
The Riverside Church in the City of New York is an interdenominational church in New York City, famous for its elaborate Neo-Gothic architecture—which includes the world's largest tuned carillon bell...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Theater impresario Joseph Papp
Joseph Papp
Joseph Papp was an American theatrical producer and director. Papp established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in downtown New York . "The Public," as it is known, has many small theatres within it...
saw the play and was so impressed that he moved the production to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. The play was nominated for six Tony Awards. It won the New York Critics Circle Award and an Obie Award
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
for the "best play of the year". The play was also a success in Europe, and catapulted Piñero to literary
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
fame. Short Eyes was published in book form by the editorial house Hill & Yang.
Walter Kerr
Walter Kerr
For the RN admiral see Lord Walter KerrWalter Francis Kerr was an American writer and Broadway theater critic. He also was the writer, lyricist, and/or director of several Broadway plays and musicals.-Biography:...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said it was "promising" but "not yet freed from its initial debt to life."
Film adaptations
In 1977, the play was adapted for a film, directed by Robert M. Young from a script by Piñero. The film starred a mostly unknown cast, but featured a few actors who later became successful Hollywood character actorCharacter actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
s, such as Bruce Davison
Bruce Davison
Bruce Davison is an American actor and director.-Early life:Davison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Marian E. , a secretary, and Clair W. Davison, a musician, architect, and draftsman for the Army Engineers. His parents divorced when he was three years old. He was raised by his...
as Davis, Piñero as Go-Go (a character not featured in the original play), and Luis Guzmán
Luis Guzmán
Luis Guzmán is an actor from Puerto Rico. He is known for his character work. For much of his career, he has played roles largely as sidekicks, thugs, or policemen....
in a small supporting role. Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
composed and performed the acclaimed soundtrack, that included one of his last hit songs, "Do Do Wap (Is Strong in Here)."
Awards and nominations
Awards
- 1974 New York Drama Critics' CircleNew York Drama Critics' CircleThe New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of 24 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area. The organization was founded in 1935 at the Algonquin Hotel by a group that included Brooks Atkinson, Walter Winchell, and Robert Benchley...
Award for Best American Play - 1974 Obie Award Best American Play
Nominations
- 1975 Tony Award for Best Play