“Let the Devil take the Hindmost” or What kind of revolution do we want?

Set in 1969 amidst racial tension, sexual revolution, and the activist era, “Let the Devil Take The Hindmost” asks questions about how we accomplish change in America by examining a family in turmoil. While set in 1969, these questions are just as relevant today. How do we accomplish change? What kind of revolution do we want? Is anger useful? Is compromise?

This discussion is particularly important during this election cycle. The play helpfully uses a quote by Hillary Clinton said at the DNC in their press materials: “So let’s put ourselves in the shoes of young black and Latino men and women who face the effects of systemic racism, and are made to feel like their lives are disposable.” This was the request of people in 1969 and yet it took until 2016 for a politician to stand up and say these words. How are race and gender still holding people back today? How should we respond to the tragic killings of black people at the hands of police? There are no simple answers to these questions except that systemic barriers do exist and understanding is needed to move forward.

“Let the Devil Take the Hindmost” explores issues of race and revolution within a family at the center of societal upheaval. The family includes a Latino father, a less successful African American mother, and a college aged daughter who wants to believe that protests will fix the world. The play opens with the mother angry and alienated from her husband and daughter. Her husband has achieved greater success in academia due to his gender and their marriage has deteriorated. Her daughter has chosen a path that scares her mother because she has dropped out of college to engage in political activism. As the child of a Latino man and African American father, does she need education and societal proof of her intelligence to succeed more than others? Is it better to get an education and accomplish change from within the system or to break out of the system and protest?

“Let the Devil Take the Hindmost” is a timely piece of theater that shows the truly American nature of race, gender, and revolution. Written by Maya Conteras and directed by Lorca Peress. It is part of Fringe NYC and is playing at SohoPlayhouse. For more information visit http://www.letthedeviltakethehindmost.com/