Crumbs from the Table of Joy

by Lynn Nottage

'Lynn Nottage has packed so much life, love and history into her panoramic memory play... No matter how pain-filled and obstacle-ridden this tale of the coming-of-age of an adolescent African-American girl in 1950s Brooklyn might be, what drives this play is the pervasive sense of life as a great and exhilarating feast - a cornucopia of passion, imagination, knowledge, experience and yes, confusion, too' Chicago Sun-Times

The Crump family is adrift and in trouble. Recently widowed Godfrey is under the spell of Sweet Father Divine, while his teenage daughters, Ernestine and Ermina, immerse themselves in the illusions of Hollywood to escape racial prejudice. But things change quickly when free-spirited Aunt Lily shows up...

Crumbs from the Table of Joy , an arresting, thought-provoking play about racial and social issues of the late 1950s, was first performed Off-Broadway in 1995, and has since been revived numerous times.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Audiobook, Theatre, Fiction, Historical Fiction

72 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 1998

About the author

Lynn Nottage is an American playwright whose work often deals with the lives of marginalized people. She is a professor of Playwriting at Columbia University. She was the first woman to have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice; the first in 2009 for Ruined, and the second in 2017 for Sweat.

Reviews

[Josh Caporale · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is my second expedition into a Lynn Nottage play and while I find there her plays possess great potential and have great stories, they would benefit much more if they were longer and allowed their stories to flow. It is like an Italian sub with a thick bread and only one slice of each cold cut with piles of lettuce, tomato, and onion that you would hope would make up for it. At the same time, this is still a pretty good play. There is a lot to ponder about the circumstances of black people during the 1950s and in this case a recently widowed man trying to provide the best possible life to his two daughters.

Godfrey Crump is the widowed man we are speaking of and his two daughters are Ernestine, who is about ready to graduate high school, and Ermina, his younger, somewhat outspoken daughter. Ernestine also provides a sense of narration as she talks to the audience to provide a landscape to their story. This helps me the reader follow the play a bit easier. Godfrey's pursuits are somewhat questionable, first seek salvation from a paid service from a certain Father Divine and will later step aside and return with a second wife that he found on the subway named Gerte, who is German. Upon his arrival to Brooklyn, his sister-in-law, Lily, moves in to help out, but her values are far different from Godfrey's. Lily is more determined, fights for her beliefs, and is not afraid of her Communist connections. Ernestine and Ermina see great inspiration from Lily, much to Godfrey's dismay, and this play creates a clash of values and determining what is right and if there is such definition.

There is a lot to examine within this text, from the names of the characters to how each character goes about responding to the problems regarding their race. Godfrey and Lily both approach things oppositely and in some cases they are in the right, while in others they are in the wrong. In other cases, whether or not one would agree with one side or the other would be up to that person's beliefs. This play is not for everyone, especially those that have strong opinions and especially those that are heavy on the political right. Again, though, it would have benefited heavily if it was longer. The intentions were strong, but the execution could have been more fleshed out. The potential energy within the characters was fiery and they were solid enough so that we can spend a nice amount of time with each, but the kinetic energy left me the reader wanting more.

Mlima's Tale was the other play I have read by Lynn Nottage and this was a better play in its ability to follow and how it felt more like a play. The direction was clearer so that I had a general idea as to how this was taking place in my head. I would be up to watching this on the stage, but I could see myself yearning for more.

[Emilie · Rating 3 out of 5]

“In the movies, the darkness precedes everything. In the darkness, the theatre whispers with anticipation.”

A fun little play, arms open to the future in all its theatricality.

[sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

i was forced to read this but in hindsight, i am thankful. what an incredible play, truly. opened my eyes, and also closed rhem - as rhis play gave me a reason to live , to breathe. i love these characters with every fibre of my being and wrote countless literary essays about this play. wish i coukd read it for the firsr time again.

tjank you.

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This play is great at showing characters with very different struggles and viewpoints and exploring how they might interact with each other, whether that is peacefully or belligerently (mostly belligerently), and the injustices of their world. All the symbolism in the story and the 1950's iconography makes it even better. Also, Lily. No further comments.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps this one translates much better on stage.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really beautiful play. I have no idea why this isn’t one of her more known plays. The complexity of white-saviorism as well as belief in oneself was really moving.

[Rishi · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I didn't read this play, I watched a live performance of it, and it's safe to say that this play is one of my favorites. The characters, the plot, and the depth all made the play engaging, and the writing style of the play itself makes it exceptional for a live performance. It's no wonder that Lynn Nottage has earned acclaim for her work, and with this being her first work, I'm excited to read and watch her other plays.

Lily, by far, is one of my favorite literary characters of all time. The juxtaposition between her traits and Godfrey's is what captivated me throughout the play, making their relationships one of the most engaging aspects of the story.

I will say that Lynn Nottage's inspiration from Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun is quite evident throughout the play, even down to the title—they both draw from Langston Hughes' poetry, reflecting similar themes of hope and struggle. Despite the similarities, the play stood on its own as a completely different story, so it never felt like I was revisiting a play I had read before.

If the play didn’t quite resonate with you when reading it (as I've noticed some have said in their reviews), I highly recommend seeking out a live performance.

[Samantha Buchheit · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this for class and I think it was a really interesting play. It was easily understandable while still being thought provoking and containing paratext that I had to look up. I think the ending could've been a little more fully fledged. We talked about in class how many popular stories in our culture show Black characters ending up with failure or even death, and this play does end with that for Godfrey and Lily. However, many people do experience these things (death by murder or, more likely, simply being disappointed and not meeting some of your goals). It was also written by a Black author, so I don't necessarily think this is a horrible representation, just not a complete or nuanced one. No story ever can be completely nuanced and represent any demographic fully, in my opinion.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

I recently listened to Nottage's Fabulation as an audioplay and loved it, so I decided to give more of her work a go. Scribd happened to also have Crumbs From the Table of Joy as an audioplay, so here I am. I have to admit I didn't find myself loving it the way I did Fabulation, but it's still a solid play. The story is interesting and enjoyable, there are some interesting themes being dealt with, and I was intrigued by the characters. The audio aspect was good and I enjoyed all the actors, but Charlayne Woodard (who also starred in Fabulation) was definitely a highlight for me.

Overall this is a solid play, one worth reading/watching/listening to. I'm glad I could give it a go, even if it didn't hit as well as Fabulation for me.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this because I took over an English class and this was the play the previous teacher chose. It's not one that would be my first choice. I just didn't think it delved in deep enough to anything. Everything is very surface level and elementary. The laughs mostly seemed really forced. I listened to the LA Theater Works production, and while I likes the performances, perhaps it lost something by my not seeing it onstage.

[Kodie Warnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love her play ‘Sweat’ so I expected to love this one too, but it didn’t hit me in the same way. Regardless, it’s a gift to read a play written by a black woman, giving me insight into a world I wouldn’t know without it. I’ll always be thankful for Lynn Nottage.

[Everett · Rating 3 out of 5]

The play was alright but could have gone deeper into the connections between characters, their backstories as well as their mothers influence on them. Good and interesting historically but could have done more with character development and depth.

[KYLE MILLER · Rating 3 out of 5]

A black family is lost and adrift in the 1950s, searching for purpose and guidance, struggling to escape racial prejudice. An interesting though not entirely successful post-war exploration of race and social issues.

[Menela · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

This is a play I had to read for school, I liked the fact that the language was colloquial because it helped me get into the story faster. It is easy to read but it could’ve been more entertaining in the end. I really enjoyed the small “plot twists” if we can call them that way.

[nia]

didnt actually read it but LOL wtvr

[Claire Pustinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gorgeous reflection on family, human connection, the power of ideas, and the growing pains of change.

[caprimooner · Rating 4 out of 5]

i speed read this book like a couple days ago and i actually really enjoyed it, kind of

[Michael Stanish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contrived but deeply thought provoking.

[Daniel S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly enjoyed reading it even though it was from school

[elliebear · Rating 3 out of 5]

like every other lit read

[del · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok wtf? leí esta obra para mi igcse y posta esta bastante buena… esta bueno para leer algo distinto.

[juli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3

[Vel Veeter]

This plays takes place in a Black household in the years after WWII. The longtime matriarch of the Crumb household has died and in her absence a gap forms. First to fill that gap is her sister, a radical Communist and a drunk, who has a kind of sway over the father of the house. Another potential member to fill that gap is the daughter Ernestine, and finally, a German expat named Gerte.

This play then deals with what it means to lose someone, to try to find ways to heal, and how to process the new life that unfolds in light of that loss. The result is a funny and charming story about these questions. About how faith, how radical ideology, and how love changes as it heals.

The play spends a lot of time allowing the conflict that these clashes bring. All the various tensions that unfold as a result of these conflicts…between the faith of the father and the radical nature of his sister in law, between the whiteness of Gerte and the Blackness of everyone else…and the whiteness but otherness of Gerte alongside otherwise familiar relations.

The results are unclear. The emotions however are raw, if also unclear, but strong and tense. The disappointment of seeing your father who is tormented at work through racist diatribe and abuse marrying a white woman who he seems to very much love does not fit neatly into a set of feelings. At the same time having the radical spirit to fight against oppression for radical change, when the world is pretty clearly telling you that it won’t come so easy. All of these are unfamiliar feelings.

[Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lynn Nottage, one of America’s foremost playwrights, has created a nostalgic look at a slice of The Great Migration with Crumbs From the Table of Joy. Centered on the Crump family who have moved from Florida to New York City in the 1950’s, eldest daughter, Ernestine, is our protagonist. Her father, Godfrey, now a widower, has relocated the family following his wife, Sandra’s, death in hopes that Father Divine’s Peace Mission Movement will help supply answers to his many questions about life that burden him in the wake of her passing. Godfrey’s sister-in-law, Lily, already transplanted to New York, reacquaints herself with her sister’s family in a semi-permanent manner. Lily opens Ernestine’s and her younger sister, Ermina’s, eyes to the ways of less subordinate women - a trait more agreeable to Ermina than to Ernestine. Lily also stirs up unforgotten passions in Godfrey from when they had mutual interest in each other, but their own deep seated problems interfere with any hope for reconnecting. In his quandary over Lily and Sandra, Godfrey meets and marries Gerte, a recently immigrated German woman who is white. All the intersecting complications of their disparate lives in Brooklyn culminate in the midst of Ernestine’s high school graduation.
The play bears a weighty and wistful melancholy that is very effective in telling a story that is so ethno- and gender centric. The blending of post-war African-American and European Jewish perspectives makes for an intriguing dynamic. Nottage’s hand at melding humor and lament into her writing is exceedingly well developed.

[Anye Wee · Rating 4 out of 5]

16/05/2023 : pfff IGCSE is finished ! We ended up doing an extract from the Prologue that was not particularly great but I think what I did was good ! Results in August (it's in such a long time period !)

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06/04/23 : I reread the all book to do an extract from Act II Scene 3 that was good, too good so I completely did shit...

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27/11/22 : It was actually a play that I didn't find really attractive because of the cover the first time I saw it just before first day at school but I found myself liking the subjects that this play deals with : it is really interesting to analyse different POV. I may do updates as even if I have finished to read the book, we are studying it in class and even doing an exam on it next week ! :)

[Reading into the Void · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never read a play before and I was honestly pretty apprehensive, but listening to this on audiobook was the right choice because it was truly like watching the play live. In less than two hours we get funny, sad, and reflections on life, history, discrimination, family, faith, alcoholism, being Black in America, interracial relationships, and more.

I am impressed and the cast of narrators did an amazing job. I’d love to see this play live.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

I think this play would be stronger staged. There is a lot to dig into. Love the characters and the relationships. Some of the staging conventions reminded me of the play version of ‘The Bluest Eye’ at times, as well as Kennedy’s ‘A Movie Star Has to Star in Black & White.’

[Not Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

script, dramatists play service.

Okay, maybe i need to see it live first. Set in 1950s America, a family drama.

[Sieara DeLone · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started slow, but it's a good story historically speaking. I enjoy the significance and the small points of relation between whites and blacks more than the entire story. but it was alright.

[Juli · Rating 1 out of 5]

del colegio