The Indian Wants the Bronx

by Israel Horovitz

Book by HOROVITZ, Israel

Genres: Plays

Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Israel Horovitz has written more than 80 plays, several of which have been translated into as many as 30 languages and performed worldwide. His play Line reached 50 years of continuous performance, off-Broadway, at 13th Street Repertory Theatre.

Horovitz is Founding Artistic Director of Gloucester Stage Company, and of the New York Playwrights Lab. For two decades, he taught a bilingual screenwriting workshop with writers from la Fémis, France’s national film school, and Columbia University’s graduate film program. Has also written or adapted numerous plays for BBC Radio. (Click on link for listing and description of plays.)

He is married to Gillian Adams-Horovitz, former British National Marathon Champion and Record holder, and former USA Track & Field (Masters) Marathon Champion. The Horovitz family divides its time among homes in Gloucester, Massachusetts, NYC’s Greenwich Village, and London’s Dulwich Village. Mr. Horovitz visits France, frequently, where he often directs French-language productions of his plays. He is the most-produced American playwright in French theatre history.

Reviews

[Patty]

This play was much more than two New Yorkers tormenting a foreigner for me. To me, it perfectly portrayed how cruel humans can be toward one another, and for no other reason than to amuse themselves. The Americans torture this foreign man, who is just looking for a way to reach his family, and is it because he is different? It demonstrates the issue in America of treating people of different cultures with little respect, disregarding the fact that America was 'founded' by foreigners and cultivated as a land where anyone could come for freedom.

[DURTY]

New Yorkers are animals, I guess.

[Brian McCann]

Typical anti-society, xenophobic outrage from lower class hoodlums that seemed very off-Broadway in the late 60s. What was hip then is so offensive 50 years later.

[Steve]

While the script has Gupta's English translation, my question is, is it translated for the audience onstage? (I'm guessing not)

Certainly interesting and sad.

[Alisha]

I can see its value as a work but even as a short play I found myself skipping passages. It's probably different to see it staged but I felt certain dialogue sections were repetitive without purpose. And it's just so full of stereotypes, which is of course the point but it doesn't make for a fun read.

[TCPils]

Two New Yorkers torment a foreigner. That's all I got out of this play. Maybe it has some deeper meaning but I couldn't find any.