The Bluest Eye, written by Nobel and Pulitzer award-winner Toni Morrison (1931–2019). Playwright Lydia R. Diamond’s faithful adaptation of Morrison’s first novel retains all of its power and pathos in this audio play, as well as a good deal of its lyrical flavor.
Set in 1940 in Morrison’s hometown of Lorain, Ohio, the story revolves around Pecola Breedlove (Jasmine Milan Williams,
Bull in a China Shop), a heartsick, lonely, and troubled 11-year-old Black girl who is shamed by what she is told is her ugliness. And she has constant reminders of her lack of worth. Neighbors taunt her; the local store owner will not look at her.
The return of the International Track Meet, 10 years after the February 2011 meeting was cancelled due to the Christchurch earthquakes, will not have the usual international flavour on February 6 due to New Zealand’s borders being closed because of the global Covid-19 pandemic. “Ideally we’d like to do what we normally do, and bring in some offshore talent to push our athletes on to greater performances, but in the current international climate, we have to work with what we have, and we’re very lucky to have some top-class internationals right here in New Zealand and ready to put on a show,” event director Paul Coughlan said.