''The River Niger'' is a play by Joseph A. Walker, first performed by New York City's

Negro Ensemble Company The Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) is a New York City-based theater company and workshop established in 1967 by playwright Douglas Turner Ward, producer-actor Robert Hooks, and theater manager Gerald S. Krone, with funding from the Ford Foundation ...

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

in 1972. The production made its

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

debut with a transfer to the

Brooks Atkinson Theatre The Lena Horne Theatre (previously the Mansfield Theatre and the Brooks Atkinson Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 256 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1926, it was designed by Herbert ...

on 27 March 1973 for a run of 162 performances. It's a black play, meaning all characters are African American, with the titular river being a pun on the N-word.

Characters

* Mattie Williams * Johnny Williams * Dr. Dudley Stanton * Jeff Williams * Ann Vanderguild * Big Moe Hayes * Al * Chips * Skeeter * Gail * Wilhelmina Brown

Adaptations

The play was adapted by Walker for film in 1976, directed by

Krishna Shah Krishna Shah (10 May 1938 – 13 October 2013) was an Indian-American/Gujarati film and theatre director, screenwriter, playwright, producer, and production/distribution executive. Shah was considered the first Indian to create the crossover be ...

starring

Cicely Tyson Cicely Louise Tyson (December 19, 1924January 28, 2021) was an American actress. In a career which spanned more than seven decades in film, television and theatre, she became known for her portrayal of strong African-American women. Tyson recei ...

and

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...

Awards and nominations

Awards * 1973 Drama Desk Award for Most Promising Playwright – Joseph A. Walker * 1973 Obie Award for Best American Play * 1974

Tony Award for Best Play The Tony Award for Best Play (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award given to the best new (non-musical) play on Broadway, as determined by Tony Award voters. There was no award in the Tonys' first yea ...

Nominations * 1974

Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play The Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actors for quality supporting roles in a Broadway play. Honors ...

–

Douglas Turner Ward Douglas Turner Ward (May 5, 1930February 20, 2021) was an American playwright, actor, director, and theatrical producer. He was noted for being a founder and artistic director of the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC). He was nominated for the Tony ...

* 1974

Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play The Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actresses for quality supporting roles in a Broadway play. Th ...

–

Roxie Roker Roxie Albertha Roker (August 28, 1929 – December 2, 1995) was an American actress who portrayed Helen Willis on the CBS sitcom ''The Jeffersons'' (1975–1985), half of the first interracial couple to be shown on regular prime time television ...

External links

* ''The River Niger'' play
Original Off-Broadway Production
* Original Broadway Production * 1973 plays All-Black cast Broadway shows Broadway plays Drama Desk Award-winning plays Obie Award-winning plays Off-Broadway plays Tony Award-winning plays African-American plays American plays adapted into films African-American culture {{1970s-play-stub