American Trade

Synopsis

When things get a little too hot for him in New York, good-looking, charismatic hustler, Pharus, escapes the clutches of rap star Jules and moves to London, where he sets up an escort business under the guise of a model agency. Recruiting a range of workers from different backgrounds who can cater to every taste, the play mischievously demonstrates the pressures and absurdities of making it in the big city for locals and immigrants alike. And it throws a wry light on our society’s obsessions, from desire and control to deception and image. American Trade is a funny, uncompromising and outspoken play about survival, which challenges assumptions about racial and sexual identity. It is also a celebration of 21st century London in all its extravagant, confusing and dynamic diversity.

Our Review:

Michael Coveney - 9 June 2011

I’ve never fully understood why Tarell Alvin McCraney, an acclaimed black American playwright best known for The Brothers Size, is a resident dramatist at the RSC. His latest, American Trade, provides no answers.

It’s a gaudily produced and flashily directed — by RSC debutant and Donmar associate Jamie Lloyd — picaresque tale of vice and corruption in the music and public relations industries on both sides of the Atlantic. How shocking or surprising is that?

The question would be superfluous if American Trade were a vivid Brechtian morality fable with sustained contemporary application. That’s the idea, and it remains just that: an idea. McCraney pretentiously sub-titles his play “a contemporary restoration comedy,” as if to validate his RSC connection.

But this meretricious piece becomes embarrassing to watch after about five minutes, and that’s when Tunji Kasim’s strip...

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Latest User Review

John Hay - 20 June 2011:

Read or see The Brother/Sister plays to understand why Tarell McCraney is the RSC playwright in residence. Or check out the extensive list of theatrical awards and intellectual criticism around his work. Ignorance does not qualify an opinion, particularly not that of a reviewer for Whatsonstage....

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