The Green Pastures is a play by Marc Connelly that was adapted by a book of folk tales written by Roark Bradford, called Old Man Adam an' His Chillun. The play potrays, through grand spectacles and humorous acted-out anecdotes, some of the main stories of the Old Testament through the eyes of uneducated Blacks in the South; it was meant to showcase their "living religion" which permeated every aspect of their lives, unlike that of educated whites. The play raised some controversy because of its portrayal of God and Biblical figures; it now raises more controversy for its portrayal of Blacks.

The Green Pastures

Marc Connelly

1930

History

The Green Pastures opened on February 22, 1930 in New York. It had a cast of almost 100 members, including a 30-member choir, all of whom were Black. The lights and set were designed by Robert Edmond Jones.

Characters

Humans

Mr. Deshee

Children in Sunday School

Heavenly Host

Angels

Archangel

De Lawd

Gabriel

Early Mankind

Adam

Eve

Cain

Cain's Gal

Flood

Zeba

Cain the Sixth

Noah

Noah's Wife

Shem

Ham

Japheth

Flatfoot

Patriarchs

Abraham

Isaac

Jacob

The Exodus

Moses

Aaron

Zipporah

Pharaoh

Wizards & Magicians

Joshua

The Prophets

Master of Ceremonies

King of Babylon

Prophet

High Priest

Hezdrel

Plot Summary

The plot follows, in an anecdotal style, stories from the Old Testament, with comments from the preacher, Mr. Deshee, in between. We first see Heaven, a wide, rambling fish fry and picnic on a neverending holiday. The character of "De Lawd" is introduced as a kindly older man in a suit who passes out 10-cent cigars to all he meets. De Lawd creates the heavens and the earth, and puts Adam and Eve in charge of maintaining it.

In like manner, the tales follow the creation with the story of Cain and Abel, and of Noah and the flood, placing Noah as a preacher whose congregation has deserted him for earthly pleasures, gambling and violence, and who has a comical argument with De Lawd--if he must take two of every animal onto the ark, he reasons, he should be able to take two kegs of liquor as well.

After the story of the flood, the patriarchs petition De Lawd to help out the nation of Israel, now captive to Egypt. De Lawd sends Moses and Aaron to Ol' King Pharaoh to do some magic tricks, and they lead the Hebrews out of captivity and into the Promised Land of Canaan.

When next we see De Lawd on the earth, the Hebrews are once again captive, this time to the Babylonians, whose king spends his time in a rowdy burlesque hall, and who has a crooked high priest of the Hebrews advising him to get rid of the prophets. De Lawd seeks to wreak some vengeance on the sinful nation of Babylon.

Last, we meet Hezdrel, a faithful Hebrew soldier, who tells De Lawd about mercy. Struck by this idea, De Lawd contemplates the idea that suffering brings mercy and forgiveness, and decides that He Himself must suffer a little; he sends down Jesus to usher in an age of mercy, and the play ends.

Brief Analysis

• Style

This play is done completely in dialect--labeled "the Negro dialect" at the time--which is full of "dese" and "dem" and other typical colloquialisms and mispronunciations. It is also presented in very clear episodes, which lend it an anecdotal feel.

The stage directions call many times for incredibly extravagant sets and sequences, from the moving clouds filled with angels in the initial scene to the panoramic scrolling scenes necessary for De Lawd's walking trip through the town where Noah lives, to the loading of the Ark, etc. This style of spectacle was more common in earlier years when shows such as Uncle Tom's Cabin toured the country, and was still being seen onstage in the early twenties.

The cast featured a 30-member choir (also all Black) which sang spirituals and hymns during the scene transitions which related to the upcoming scene.

• Themes

This play's theme is a linear one that works on the principle of "simple faith" established by the playwright. It establishes God as a creator who will dole out punishment for misdeeds, but who learns that the suffering that humans face--which upsets him--essentially ennobles them. Through suffering they gain access to mercy, and through suffering they learn faith.

Criticism

Criticism for this play is largely mixed; while some considered it beautiful, deep, and significant, others considered it blasphemous. And even those who praised it often spoke of its subject in terms that would be considered inflammatory today.

J. Brooks Atkinson, a reviewer for the New York Times, called it "A play of surpassing beauty," and "The divine comedy of the modern theatre," but in his summary of it said, "...it follows the chronicle of Biblical history as ignorant religious Negroes of the South might conceive it in childish terms of their personal experience." His final words for it conveyed better his feelings about the work: "...you believe in the entire play. It is belief incarnadined. Such things are truer than truth."

In a later review, the same critic said, "When the history of the contemporary theatre is written, surely it will stand among the plays that have left the deepest impression upon their times." Some controversy was expressed in his opinion that the tales themselves were"hardly more than sophisticated travesty," but he concluded that, "Far from being a blasphemous audacity, as it may seem to be on paper, introducing the Lord gives 'The Green Pastures' a religious exaltation far beyond any play I have ever seen."

Other opinions were less favorable: letter writer LEWISAE (presumably Lewis A.E.) complained that the play was overly repetitious, and another writer complained, similarly, that it introduced nothing new, especially to anyone who had read Roark Bradford's book. Inciting further controversy, the play was banned in Australia for being "blasphemous" in its portrayal of Biblical figures.

The New York Times Jan. 9, 1930, p. 28

The New York Times Feb. 12, 1930, p. 22

J. Brooks Atkinson, The New York Times Feb. 27, 1930, p. 20

J. Brooks Atkinson, The New York Times Mar. 9, 1930, p. 117

The New York Times Mar. 16, 1930

The New York Times Mar. 19, 1930