Short Eyes (play)
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Short Eyes is a theatre drama written in 1972 by playwright Miguel Piñero. The title is prison slang for a pedophile. Piñero wrote the play for a prisoner's writing workshop when during his incarceration for armed robbery.
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[edit] Plot
The play is set in an unnamed House of Detention in New York City, the prisoners of which are predominately black or Hispanic. One day, a new prisoner is brought in: Clark Davis, a young, middle-class white man accused of raping a young girl. His fellow prisoners immediately turn on him — child molesters are considered the lowest form of prison life — except for Juan, one of the institution's older prisoners, who treats him with dignity and listens to his rather sordid life story. While Davis insists he doesn't remember raping the girl, he admits that he has molested several other children, and is sexually fixated on pre-pubescent girls.
It is eventually revealed that the police's case against Davis is weak, and it is a matter of time before he is released. This puts Juan in a difficult position: on one hand, he feels a grudging pity for Davis, and "snitching" on another prisoner, even one as despised as Davis, could get him killed; on the other, there is no doubt in his mind that Davis will "scar up some more little girls' minds" if released. Before he can decide what to do, however, Davis is ambushed and killed by the other prisoners.
The play also revolves around other features of prison life, such as the day-to-day attempts to accumulate priviliges from the guards and "rap sessions" in which prisoners joke, flirt, and threaten each other.
[edit] Characters
- Clark Davis: a white, middle class white man in his mid-twenties accused of child molestation. While it is never explicitly stated whether he committed the crime he is accused of, it is made clear that he is indeed a pedophile who has molested several other children.
- Juan Mercado: A Puerto Rican man in his early thirties. He is liked and respected by his fellow prisoners and the guards alike, and is considered the play's voice of sanity and wisdom.
- Cupcakes: A Puerto Rican "pretty boy" of 21 who is coveted by many of the House's convicts. He is considered the play's symbol of innocence.
- Paco: A Puerto Rican drug addict with predatory designs of Cupcakes.
- Longshoe: A tough, hip Irishman in his mid-thirties, and the only white prisoner whom the black and Hispanic prisoners respect. He despises Davis, both because of his crime and because he feels betrayed by a fellow white man, and eventually kills slits his throat.
- Ice: A tough, angry black man in his late twenties.
- El Raheem: A militant Muslim who preaches the word of Allah to his fellow prisoners.
- Omar: A black amateur boxer in his mid-twenties.
- Mr. Nett: An old-line prison guard who takes an immediate dislike to Davis, eventually looking the other way as the other prisoners kill him.
- Captain Allard: Nett's superior officer. Imposing and macho, he has little pateince for the prisoners.
[edit] Acclaim
In 1974, the play was presented at Riverside Church in Manhattan. Theater impresario Joseph Papp saw the play and was so impressed that he moved the production to Broadway. The play was nominated for six Tony Awards. It won the New York Critics Circle Award and an Obie Award for the "best play of the year". The play was also a success in Europe, and catapulted Piñero to literary fame. Short Eyes was published in book form by the editorial house Hill & Yang.
[edit] Film adaptation
In 1977, Short Eyes was adapted into a film, directed by Robert M. Young from a script by Piñero. The film starred a mostly unknown cast, but featured a few actors who later became successful Hollywood character actors, such as Bruce Davison as Davis, Piñero as Go-Go, a character not featured in the original play, and Luis Guzman in a small supporting role. Curtis Mayfield composed and performed the soundtrack, which included one of his last hit songs, "Do Do Wap (Is Strong in Here)."
