39 pages • 1 hour read
Bruce NorrisClybourne Park
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 2010A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris explores the events before and after Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, focusing on the same house in Chicago's evolving Clybourne Park neighborhood. Act One in 1959 features Russ and Bev selling their home to the Younger family amidst racial tension. Act Two, set in 2009, involves a dispute between new white homeowners and the predominantly Black housing association, highlighting issues of gentrification and racial misunderstandings. The play addresses themes of race, class, gender, and other forms of marginalization, such as mental health, and uses dark humor and rapid dialogue to navigate sensitive conversations about identity and urban development.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Bruce Norris's Clybourne Park masterfully tackles themes of race and real estate over two acts set 50 years apart. Critics praise its sharp wit, strong performances, and poignant social commentary. However, some find its confrontational tone and abrupt shifts in time distracting. Nonetheless, it remains an essential and thought-provoking exploration of cultural and racial tensions.
Who Should Read Clybourne Park?
Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris will captivate readers who appreciate sharp, societal critiques and complex character dynamics, similar to those in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun and Tracy Letts’ August: Osage County. Fans of contemporary dramas exploring race, class, and housing will find it particularly engaging.
210
Play • Fiction
Chicago, Illinois • 1950s
2010
Adult
18+ years
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