Theatre VCU presents "The Bluest Eye"

Theatre VCU presents “The Bluest Eye”

April 13, 2011

The Theatre VCU spring production of “The Bluest Eye,” the powerful drama adapted from the novel by Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison, is playing through April 24 at the Raymond Hodges Theatre in the Singleton Center for the Performing Arts.

“The Bluest Eye,” which is being co-produced with the Barksdale Theatre and directed by April Jones, is the story of Pecola Breedlove, an 11-year-old black girl who struggles to accept the color of her skin in 1940s Ohio. Pecola only plays with a blonde-haired, blue-eyed doll and matches her views of beauty to the doll’s features. She longs to see the world through blue eyes. The play explores the legacy of racism not only on Pecola but on her family and community.

“The Bluest Eye,” which was Morrison’s debut novel, was banned from many schools in the United States. The Steppenwolf Theatre commissioned Lydia R. Diamond to adapt the novel as a play for young adults in 2005, and Diamond’s play honors Morrison’s distinctively rich language.  

“The Bluest Eye,” which opened on April 8, can be seen April 14-16 and 21-23 at 7:30 p.m. and on April 10, 17 and 24 at 3 p.m.  For ticket information or to purchase tickets, contact the box office at (804) 828-6026, theatretix@vcu.edu or visit http://vcutheatre.showclix.com/.

The April 14 performance will offer a special “two-for-one” ticket sale.