Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom

by Suzan-Lori Parks

drama by the author of Spike Lee's GIRL 6

Genres: Plays

76 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1995

About the author

Suzan-Lori Parks is an award-winning American playwright and screenwriter. She was a recipient of the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant in 2001, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2002. She is married to blues musician Paul Oscher.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a really hard time following this play and what was going on (reading it) so I have to wonder how one would stage it. However, a fascinatingly structured exploration of dialect, perception, the transatlantic slave trade, the long lasting effects of diaspora, and quite a bit more.

There are some comparisons in the back of my copy to Beckett. I agree. It kind of feels like Pozzo's monologue in Waiting for Godot except in a full length play, or simply like any of Beckett's other myriad of surreal plays.

Will have to sit on this one for longer. Doing the Naturalist's monologue for a class, and everything about it is going to be challenging, but I'm quite excited as well. Love Suzan-Lori Parks's use of language. It's wildly good.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no idea how much my opinion of this early Parks play would change upon seeing a good production but it seems likely it would change dramatically as I had a hard time visualizing the action and had to recite the loopy, absurdist dialogue in my head to make sense of it. The cockroach banter in the first scene tantalized; the metaphysical convos among the seers in scene two delighted. But what's up with the final scene of the returning sergeant and how does this all tie together? How do you pronounce "HHH" or "FFFFFFFFF"? I wish I knew. I'm willing to learn!

[Phanesia Pharel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this play. Really cool concept, not too easy to grasp.

[M Caesar · Rating 5 out of 5]

utterly astounding, I doubt I understood most of it but that's because suzan Lori-parks is so big brained.

[planetkiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This play was very difficult to read in the beginning. The dialect spoken by the characters threw me off. However, as I continued on, I began to fall into the rhythm; it helped that I read it aloud to myself.

Imperceptible Mutabilities is split into different sections, each telling a different story, but all related to the same theme. If you need a favourite character to identify with, this play is not for you because the characters change from section to section.

Personally, the sections don't really work as stand alone narratives without the allegory. This hurt the play for me, because I think the best allegories can work on a surface level and on a deeper level (like "Little Red Riding Hood.") The exception was "Greeks," the tale of the soldier waiting for a distinction that never comes. I wasn't interested in the narrative of the other sections, though; I was interested in seeing what the message was.

However, the allegories were brilliant. I really enjoyed the overall theme and how it was shown through the four different stories. What Parks is referencing comes through loud-and-clear, but the allegories can work on multiple levels as well.

The dialogue, after I got used to it, was intelligent and snappy. It kept me interested in the play as well as kept me invested in the characters. Like I said, the dialect is difficult to understand and rambling in a philosophical manner. The last is especially evident in "The Third Kingdom," about a sea voyage where the passengers (allegorical to slaves) keep fearing that they're drowning the closer they get to shore.

This isn't a play to breeze through nor is it a popcorn read. Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom needs to be read slowly so the reader can think about it and the implications and ideas it rises.