A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Savage World

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  2w, 6m

Stephen Fife

To repair a broken relationship with his biracial son, freelance journalist Solomon Eisner revisits a dark chapter in his youth, when he strove to prove the innocence of “Savage” James, an outspoken Black boxer who was convicted of murdering a Jewish couple during the Newark riots.

Savage World

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 6m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior, Teen (Age 14 - 18)
Accolades
Accolades
  • “One of the Best Productions in Los Angeles 2008” by Backstage West 
    “One of the Top 10 Playwrights (Stephen Fife) in Los Angeles 2008” by Backstage West

Details

Summary

2016 Revised, Reduced-Cast Version

Solomon Eisner, a former freelance journalist, is trying to find a way to repair his broken relationship with his biracial son, Danny. Sol has tried to protect Danny from a dangerous past, but now he decides to videotape himself telling about this dark chapter from his youth that led to Danny’s birth. The play dramatizes Sol’s attempt to save his son from a descent into violence, as Sol travels back to the 1970s, chronicling his quest to prove the innocence of “Savage” James, an outspoken Black boxer who has been convicted of murdering a Jewish couple during the Newark riots. The play alternates between these two realities (the 1970s and “the present”), as Sol tries to rediscover the thread of belief and conviction that can give his son an understanding of events that Sol himself has not been able to come to terms with.

History
Savage World premiered at the Met Theater in Hollywood, CA on October 9, 2008.  It was co-produced by Paul Koslo and Stealfire Productions and directed by L. Flint Esquerra. The stage manager was Lloyd F. Reese.

Keywords
Performing Groups

CALVIN “SAVAGE” JAMES – Male, 36-40, Black
SOLOMON “SOL” EISNER – Male, 45-55, white (plays himself at 25 as well as at 57)
DETECTIVE FRANK SLEZAK, FIGHT ANNOUNCER, PRISON GUARD – Male, 40, white
ADELE SPARKS, ELLA, CARLY, WOMAN MOTORIST – Female, 35, Black
TYRONE BELL, RADIO VOICE, DANNY (SOL’S SON), BARRY BAKER, BUSTER, REPORTER, GUARDS – Male, 26, Black
MEL THOMAS, HARLEY MACK, VERNON TATE, GUARD, STENTORIAN VOICE, REPORTER – Male, 50, Black
JIMMY LUGO, MAXIE LAZLO, CREECH, DJ, REPORTER, RAY BRANIFF, DAD, ROOKS, GUARD – Male, 35-40, white
BELINDA, TINA, LA DJ, WENDY WHITE, POLLY, POLICEWOMAN – Female, 35-40, white

The play requires a minimum of 8 actors – 6 Men and 2 Women – with some playing one role and others playing multiple roles. The suggested breakdown is meant to be flexible.  

  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day, 1970s
  • Setting Trenton State maximum security prison, 1975-77, and Park Slope, Brooklyn, 2007-10.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes, Period Costumes
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Intense Adult Themes

Media

“An epic American play… haunting and unmistakably commendable.” – Backstage West

“Savage World is proof of the power of theater: the ability to dramatize the struggles, triumphs of one and the many, and how story brings us together to see a part of the world we can only dare imagine.” – Tolucan Times

“At the end, the audience rewarded the huge cast with enthusiastic applause and a standing ovation... [Savage World] grabs your imagination and holds your interest.” – reviewplays.com

CRITIC'S PICK! “Stephen Fife has created an epic American play… What Fife and his crew have accomplished is haunting… and unmistakably commendable.” – Backstage West

“The juicy core of the conflict is whether [the boxer] “Savage” James is indeed not guilty... [It's] an intense character-driven drama.” – LA Weekly

“Savage World is very intense… on the subjects of wrongful conviction, racial issues, the drive of a person to do what is right… Judge this play as a dramatic struggle for justice rather than another ‘sports’ issue.” – Accessibily Live Off-Line

Videos

  • Savage World - Trailer youtube thumbnail

    Savage World - Trailer

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

Scripts

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Authors

Stephen Fife

Stephen Fife

Stephen Fife’s new play Blue Kiss recently finished a run as part of the Hollywood Fringe, where one critic called it “a sly and brilliant conundrum.” His other new play, The American Wife – co-written with Ralph Pezzullo – has been chosen by HB Playwrights in New York City f ...

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