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FRONT ELEVATION

 

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SABRINA Moy-e Prof. WILLIAM MARSHALL, DESIGN 2

Funny House of a Negro takes place in the
present, during the moments preceding the sui-
cide of its protagonist, Negro-Sarah. The play
can be interpreted as a dream enacted in Negro-
Sarah’s mind by characters which represent her
conflicting selves. These characters are: The
Duchess of Hapsburg, Queen Victoria, Jesus, and
Patrice Lumumba. Raymond (the Funnyhouse
Man, Sarah’s white lover) and Sarah’s Landlady
(the Funnyhouse Woman) are additional “actu-
al” characters who, though also inhabiting
Sarah’s dream, tie the dream sequences to her
“real” life.

The play is composed of three types of
sequences, each of which requires a different
scenographic treatment. The first type of
sequence is the tableaux, horror-show gimmick,
pantomime. These sequences are visually jarring,
the characters appearing as apparitions inhabit-
ing no particular space or time. The second type
of sequence is the traditional “scene,” in which
characters engage in dialogue in a concrete set-
ting. These sequences require visual cues that
identify the space with the characters inhabiting
it. The third type of sequence is the monologue,
in which Negro-Sarah explains and analyzes her
behavior in a straightforward manner that