Moon on a Rainbow Shawl

(Paperback, Main)

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For the teeming populace of Old Mack's cacophonous yard in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, it's a cheek by jowl existence lived out on a sweltering public stage. Snatches of calypso compete with hymn tunes, drums and street cries as neighbours drink, brawl, pass judgment, make love, look out for each other and crave a better life. But Ephraim is no dreamer and nothing, not even the seductive Rosa, is going to stop him escaping his dead-end job for a fresh start in England.

Set as returning troops from the Second World War fill the town with their raucous celebrations, Erroll John's Moon on a Rainbow Shawl depicts a vibrant, cosmopolitan world that is as harsh as it is filled with colour and warmth.

Author Bio

Errol John (1924-88) came to England from his native Trinidad in 1950. His numerous acting roles in films included The Heart of the Matter (1953) and Simba (1955), and he took the title role in Othello for the Old Vic Company in 1963. On television he played leading roles in A Man from the Sun (BBC, 1956) and No Hiding Place (BBC, 1961), and in a five-part series written for him by John Elliot, Rainbow City (BBC, 1967). In 1969 he wrote The Exiles for the BBC's Wednesday Play slot; but he remains best known for his play Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, which was a winner in the 1957 Observer Play Competition. The play was first staged at the Royal Court in 1958. It was revived at Stratford East in 1985, directed by the author; at the Almeida Theatre, London, in 1988, directed by Maya Angelou; and at the National Theatre in 2012.