What do you think?
Rate this book
Blackbird
Fifteen years ago, Una and Ray had a relationship. They haven't set eyes on each other since. Now she's found him again.
Blackbird was commissioned by the Edinburgh International Festival and premiered at the King's Theatre, Edinburgh, in August 2005. The production transferred to the Albery Theatre, London, in February 2006, and went on to open at the Manhattan Theater Club, New York City, in April 2007.
Blackbird was commissioned by the Edinburgh International Festival and premiered at the King's Theatre, Edinburgh, in August 2005. The production transferred to the Albery Theatre, London, in February 2006, and went on to open at the Manhattan Theater Club, New York City, in April 2007.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
David Harrower
25 books24 followersDavid Harrower is a Scottish playwright, who, as of of 2005, lives in Glasgow. His first play, Knives in Hens, which premiered at Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre in 1995, was considered a critical and popular success.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
October 29, 2015
3.5 stars
The earlier you read this play, the more I think you'll enjoy it. Or perhaps I should rephrase that. I'm no moral guardian - hell, I look at some of the stuff I used to read when I was 12-ish and shudder - but this isn't the sort of books kids should read, if only because I don't think it's safe for kids to read philosophically about whether it's possible for child molesters to love them (!). What I mean is that there is something so close to convention in its treatment of its dark subject, lean, mean writing, and shocking moments poised to cause shock and discomfort that it seems better suited to those who aren't quite as used to the particular style born out by "issue theatre" (not inherently a bad thing, and, certainly, Harrower comes up with an addictive and almost irresistible play to chew on.)
And, um, this is one of those plays with all the qualities of a Great Play. It's a great great play for student productions thanks to its stripped-down nature - one simple set, two meaty roles (one male, one female), pretty short run-time, edgy but provocative material. It's wonderfully written.
But it's so damn sparse. It annoyed me because of how much it feels like the archetypal Edgy British Play from around this time - told in jagged, disjointed sentences that are sort of a paradoxically stylised vernacular. Revolving around one dark, edgy subject (statutory rape, the repercussions of). There are fascinating subjects floating around it, but ultimately the play itself is focused on being "thought-provoking" that it doesn't actually feel like it tells a story. Fascinating elements are only alluded to in part, such as Una's loneliness as a child, Una's relationships with her parents after the 'truth' about her and Ray's relationship emerges, and the general repercussions on Ray's later relationships. Cliches (if, sadly, cliches with truth in them) like Una's promiscuity are dwelled upon far more than more interesting and complicated subjects such as her capacity for new 'love' and what would make her describe her sexual relationships in detail to her parents (!). Sometimes, this is a play that seems almost to be using all its edgy, dark, and twisted - but beautiful - writing, to sadly go for much more obvious and less daring targets than may first appear.
Still, it's wonderfully written, twisty and dark and sharp. Yet it doesn't really feel ambiguous because it's so short and kind of deliberately underdeveloped - so intent on making you, the reader, think that it doesn't really seem to think anything of its own. The characters exist mostly, intentionally, as archetypes for discussion and contemplation, debate that can never have an answer because Harrower has deliberately provided you with only enough to make you wonder, and not enough to make you decide or choose. Harrower doesn't take a stance on anything. The twists are so damn manipulative that you can pretty much feeling Harrower jabbing at you with the end of his pencil, saying, "Can you handle this yet?" It's so obviously designed to pique the audience's sensibilities, to make them wonder and question, that it's almost irritating. For a play about such a dark, horrible subject, it's also a play that can't make up its own mind - or didn't seem to have one in the first place.
The earlier you read this play, the more I think you'll enjoy it. Or perhaps I should rephrase that. I'm no moral guardian - hell, I look at some of the stuff I used to read when I was 12-ish and shudder - but this isn't the sort of books kids should read, if only because I don't think it's safe for kids to read philosophically about whether it's possible for child molesters to love them (!). What I mean is that there is something so close to convention in its treatment of its dark subject, lean, mean writing, and shocking moments poised to cause shock and discomfort that it seems better suited to those who aren't quite as used to the particular style born out by "issue theatre" (not inherently a bad thing, and, certainly, Harrower comes up with an addictive and almost irresistible play to chew on.)
And, um, this is one of those plays with all the qualities of a Great Play. It's a great great play for student productions thanks to its stripped-down nature - one simple set, two meaty roles (one male, one female), pretty short run-time, edgy but provocative material. It's wonderfully written.
But it's so damn sparse. It annoyed me because of how much it feels like the archetypal Edgy British Play from around this time - told in jagged, disjointed sentences that are sort of a paradoxically stylised vernacular. Revolving around one dark, edgy subject (statutory rape, the repercussions of). There are fascinating subjects floating around it, but ultimately the play itself is focused on being "thought-provoking" that it doesn't actually feel like it tells a story. Fascinating elements are only alluded to in part, such as Una's loneliness as a child, Una's relationships with her parents after the 'truth' about her and Ray's relationship emerges, and the general repercussions on Ray's later relationships. Cliches (if, sadly, cliches with truth in them) like Una's promiscuity are dwelled upon far more than more interesting and complicated subjects such as her capacity for new 'love' and what would make her describe her sexual relationships in detail to her parents (!). Sometimes, this is a play that seems almost to be using all its edgy, dark, and twisted - but beautiful - writing, to sadly go for much more obvious and less daring targets than may first appear.
Still, it's wonderfully written, twisty and dark and sharp. Yet it doesn't really feel ambiguous because it's so short and kind of deliberately underdeveloped - so intent on making you, the reader, think that it doesn't really seem to think anything of its own. The characters exist mostly, intentionally, as archetypes for discussion and contemplation, debate that can never have an answer because Harrower has deliberately provided you with only enough to make you wonder, and not enough to make you decide or choose. Harrower doesn't take a stance on anything. The twists are so damn manipulative that you can pretty much feeling Harrower jabbing at you with the end of his pencil, saying, "Can you handle this yet?" It's so obviously designed to pique the audience's sensibilities, to make them wonder and question, that it's almost irritating. For a play about such a dark, horrible subject, it's also a play that can't make up its own mind - or didn't seem to have one in the first place.
October 12, 2020
Just like the 2016 film 'Una' starring Rooney Mara & Ben Mendelsohn, this was really uncomfortable to get through. But, it is a very good play overall, and I only wish I could have seen the revived stage version starring Michelle Williams and Jeff Daniels, as I'm told by someone who's seen it that it was quite brilliantly done.
June 20, 2016
Harrower's harrowing play is an exciting read, and must make for riveting theatre seen live. I have two minor quibbles: a LOT of the play is the two characters TELLING about events from 15 years after they have happened, and it rings slightly false and off - the audience NEEDS the information they are given through these exchanges, but they still sound expository, rather than naturalistic. Secondly, I haven't a clue why it's called Blackbird - and if anyone can tell me the significance of the title, I'd appreciate it!
August 15, 2017
I first saw the play staged and decided to read it immediately afterwards. It's pretty heavy.
The purpose seems to be nuancing and then a little more nuancing on top of it, to instill more humanity and complexity to taboo characters which usually no one wants to touch. Still, it goes beyond the simple premise of humanizing and still manages to maintain the non-negotiable 'wrong' status of pedophilia.
I recommend it for anyone who has the stomach for the topic, it's written beautifully.
The purpose seems to be nuancing and then a little more nuancing on top of it, to instill more humanity and complexity to taboo characters which usually no one wants to touch. Still, it goes beyond the simple premise of humanizing and still manages to maintain the non-negotiable 'wrong' status of pedophilia.
I recommend it for anyone who has the stomach for the topic, it's written beautifully.
January 12, 2021
A harrowing play with language which is difficult to read at the start. Once you get into the swing of things, it reads very well and opens up lots of vivid and disturbing scenarios. I sat and read it within the hour.
Harrower has worked fantastically with such a taboo subject, leaving me wondering the motives of both characters in their present.
Harrower has worked fantastically with such a taboo subject, leaving me wondering the motives of both characters in their present.
August 14, 2021
I read this play before auditioning for the role of Ray that will be going up for two weeks in September, 2021 at The New Ohio Theatre in NYC. I got the role! It's an amazing play, very edgy, controversial, with two outstanding roles for this two-hander. It will be my New York stage debut.
November 13, 2020
Harrowing read. I haven’t finished a book in quite a while. Remains to be seen if I will finish this year’s reading challenge but I remain hopeful...
August 3, 2020
Incredibly disturbing, discomforting for the majority. Thought provoking is perhaps the understatement of the year for describing this play. It's almost as if David Harrower wants you to leave the theater with your jaw on the floor, your mind racing--confused, bewildered, unsure, all at once.
The play concerns only two characters: Ray and Una. Ray goes by Peter now. He has a good job. A new life, a new family. He's moved on from the past. Until Una tracks him down and confronts him. Ray and Una had a sexual relationship many years ago. Una just so happened to be 12-years-old at the time. So Ray is a... pedophile.
The play reads incredibly fast. The dialogue is sharp. They interrupt each other constantly, filling in blanks, recounting events, retelling them their own way. After what could be called the climax, in which Ray and Una describe their final encounter with one another at-length, things go awry. If things didn't already make your head spin, the last half most definitely will. I ended the play mad. Disgusted. Befuddled.
I didn't think I liked this. I don't think I really do at all, actually. But I appreciate it, and what it's doing. And that's high praise from me, given that I don't often are "what it's doing." Maybe it's because I wrote my final paper for my theater class on this play, that I've grown to, well, appreciate it. The play opens with Una saying "Shock." And that is a rather apt way to describe your feelings toward reading this wild ride of a play.
I looked at you, Ray says. I wasn't looking. The minuscule turns of the phrase, the minutiae of the language. That's what catches my interest.
Can you empathize through your disgust?
The play concerns only two characters: Ray and Una. Ray goes by Peter now. He has a good job. A new life, a new family. He's moved on from the past. Until Una tracks him down and confronts him. Ray and Una had a sexual relationship many years ago. Una just so happened to be 12-years-old at the time. So Ray is a... pedophile.
The play reads incredibly fast. The dialogue is sharp. They interrupt each other constantly, filling in blanks, recounting events, retelling them their own way. After what could be called the climax, in which Ray and Una describe their final encounter with one another at-length, things go awry. If things didn't already make your head spin, the last half most definitely will. I ended the play mad. Disgusted. Befuddled.
I didn't think I liked this. I don't think I really do at all, actually. But I appreciate it, and what it's doing. And that's high praise from me, given that I don't often are "what it's doing." Maybe it's because I wrote my final paper for my theater class on this play, that I've grown to, well, appreciate it. The play opens with Una saying "Shock." And that is a rather apt way to describe your feelings toward reading this wild ride of a play.
I looked at you, Ray says. I wasn't looking. The minuscule turns of the phrase, the minutiae of the language. That's what catches my interest.
Can you empathize through your disgust?
July 28, 2011
This is a very disturbing play. We saw it twice, once at the Theatre by the Lake in Keswick and again two months later at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. Both were the same production and main cast: Ray played by Peter MacQueen and Una by Janine Hales. The former production was traverse and the latter in the round. To be honest the traverse version, being the first one we saw, was most harrowing. The play asks many questions and allows us, the audience, to provide some of the answers albeit through much debate.
You may be interested to know that the author, David Harrower, allowed alterations to be made to the version published, and presumably staged, in the United States. These referred mainly to specific locations which were removed for the US audience. Sadly, this introduces some ambiguity as the drama unfolds and is not only unnecessary but also, in my opinion, possibly an example of cultural hegemony. We saw the original UK version on the stage and read the amended US version.
May 1, 2016
An amazing script. I can't wait to see this play sometime. I was able to find some clips on YouTube, but not much. A movie version, called Una, is supposed to come out soon. The playwright wrote the screenplay. On Broadway, Jeff Bridges and Michelle Williams star in Blackbird. God, I wish I could see that!
Very believable characters, and the conversation they have rings true. Una, now approaching 30, finds and confronts the man who had sex with her when he was in his 40s and she was 12. He went to prison; she's been through therapy and her hometown's staring. Fifteen years later, they each reveal what they have been through after their relationship (?) ended with his arrest.
Surprisingly, Blackbird is part tragic love story, and that's where each character's and probably most reader's conflicting responses lie. And several things remain hauntingly ambiguous, and the characters themselves might be most confused about what is true.
Very believable characters, and the conversation they have rings true. Una, now approaching 30, finds and confronts the man who had sex with her when he was in his 40s and she was 12. He went to prison; she's been through therapy and her hometown's staring. Fifteen years later, they each reveal what they have been through after their relationship (?) ended with his arrest.
Surprisingly, Blackbird is part tragic love story, and that's where each character's and probably most reader's conflicting responses lie. And several things remain hauntingly ambiguous, and the characters themselves might be most confused about what is true.
December 15, 2019
both characters illustrate how victims of abuse and abusers typically behave. it amazed me how ray almost made me empathize with him, despite being a child abuser - the dialogues (or rather, monologues interrupted by each other) are that realistic. overall, it was annoying to read, not only because of the topic but also because of how the characters behave. the same thing made the reading quite interesting, though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 11, 2014
Disturbing, dramatic, intelligent, and manipulative. The drama pulls to the point that the tension is visible between the text. The action is engrossing enough on the page, but with a pair of brilliant actors, the effect on stage could be explosive.
November 25, 2007
Difficult but worthwhile.
November 20, 2016
Supreme.
January 28, 2021
TW: pedophile
This play deals with Una, in her late twenties and Ray, in his mid fifties, currently.
But their rendezvous happened fifteen years ago, when they got involved when Una was twelve years old.
The way it is written is what makes it so horrifying, the shorter sentences reflects the hesitation, the awkwardness that both of the protagonists are constantly feeling. The interruption makes you see how much anger they're holding within themselves, one for what she was put through once and never got redeemed for being a part of it, she's still stuck there, in the horror, in the misery, and the other for being reminded something he has forgotten to go on living further.
It fills you with disgust, what happened, how he's still justifying himself, and I could only think of how there's this scene in which Una says,
I don't know anything about you except you abused me.
Didn't you?
Didn't you?
Ray:
Yes
But
Una:
There is no but.
There's so much more in this play. It breaks your heart to think of what happened to Una, and what was done after. It may be a quick read but it'll stay with you a long time.
And I'd love to discuss the ending.
This play deals with Una, in her late twenties and Ray, in his mid fifties, currently.
But their rendezvous happened fifteen years ago, when they got involved when Una was twelve years old.
The way it is written is what makes it so horrifying, the shorter sentences reflects the hesitation, the awkwardness that both of the protagonists are constantly feeling. The interruption makes you see how much anger they're holding within themselves, one for what she was put through once and never got redeemed for being a part of it, she's still stuck there, in the horror, in the misery, and the other for being reminded something he has forgotten to go on living further.
It fills you with disgust, what happened, how he's still justifying himself, and I could only think of how there's this scene in which Una says,
I don't know anything about you except you abused me.
Didn't you?
Didn't you?
Ray:
Yes
But
Una:
There is no but.
There's so much more in this play. It breaks your heart to think of what happened to Una, and what was done after. It may be a quick read but it'll stay with you a long time.
And I'd love to discuss the ending.
Read
October 22, 2021Reading this proved an uncomfortable experience.
July 29, 2023
3.5/5
I need to see this on stage.
I need to see this on stage.
January 25, 2024
Packs a real punch, especially the ending. Really excellently constructed. Wish I could see this performed live.
July 25, 2023
I have never read the script of a play before without having seen the play first, but this was very good!
September 15, 2024
3.5 would much prefer to see it staged
October 4, 2021
Incredibly uncomfortable to read once you get into the rhythm of the writing. Very difficult to stomach, and I have a feeling it’s better to see performed than read. It just addresses a reality that nobody likes to discuss, and how that sometimes even time isn’t enough to make that go away.
March 20, 2022
THE AMOUNT OF TIMES I SAID OMFG AND OH WOW!! JFC THIS MADE ME SPEECHLESS. The start made me confused at first, but as I read more, the writing style became more tolerable and it actually made sense. I read this in like an hour. A painful and gut wrenching hour. Not because it was bad, but because it was too good! Slay!!
February 1, 2018
Una, written by David Harrower, based on his play Blackbird
What a strange work!
Let me be clear: I do not think I understand what was going on in this film and what exactly the ensemble wanted to convey.
It may be one of those cases where this is actually an invitation to think and the artwork depends on the viewer…
It has been said that the onlooker is often, maybe always more important than the object of art itself
So if I dismiss this and say, well this is about a much older person who took advantage of a minor and his punishment, it could be a mistake.
Or not…
This film has some major attributes.
One of them is the actor in the leading role:
Ben Mendelsohn aka Ray
His work is outstanding, at least in two major productions that gave the public an idea of what this artist can do:
The phenomenal Animal Kingdom and more recently, the fabulous
Killing Them Softly
Having stated my admiration for the leading actor, I now must say that his contribution was nearly annulled by the other protagonist:
Rooney Mara
This artiste has a way of making me want to change the channel, even when she is in the company of big names.
Take Carol:
Even if the story was interesting, worthwhile and provoking, Rooney Mara has almost eliminated any pleasure.
It is also true that Cate Blanchet does not have the same appeal for this viewer as she used to possess.
Rooney Mara gives me the impression that she is over reaching; there is a sense of artificiality in her performance.
It is very likely that I am wrong and the parts require a certain awkwardness and what I call over the top is actually perfect planning.
Nevertheless, Una would have benefited from the presence of Eva Green or Kelly Reilly in my opinion.
Una comes to face Ray, many years after – I do not know how to describe this, the first impulse was to say-they have had an affair.
Una was very young, under age at the time and as aforementioned, it would be easy to dismiss this as an abuse.
Which in many ways it is, perhaps this is the main problem of this motion picture that it tries to complicate what seems so simple.
We have a much older man involved with a teenage girl and even if the latter thinks she loves him, it is a no go.
To try and analyze, tell the story could be liberal and open minded, but is it really the right thing to do?
Perhaps…
A comedian in disrepute-, which may highlight the problem of treating too lightly a serious, moral and life issue-, was talking about the need to understand and engage with a child kidnapper, if only to get to save the children involved.
In other words, Una may serve as a case study of what happens when a minor thinks she or he loves and older man.
Of course, it is much more complicated than that, for the film takes place more in the moment when the protagonists are adults and they look at this past, but I see the premise as paramount.
In many ways, it reminded me of Jagten aka The Hunt, wherein a much smaller child accuses a man of inappropriate behavior, almost ruining the life of an innocent person by just inventing a story.
Nevertheless, Jagten was in a completely different league, with a different take and a more meaningful subject.
What a strange work!
Let me be clear: I do not think I understand what was going on in this film and what exactly the ensemble wanted to convey.
It may be one of those cases where this is actually an invitation to think and the artwork depends on the viewer…
It has been said that the onlooker is often, maybe always more important than the object of art itself
So if I dismiss this and say, well this is about a much older person who took advantage of a minor and his punishment, it could be a mistake.
Or not…
This film has some major attributes.
One of them is the actor in the leading role:
Ben Mendelsohn aka Ray
His work is outstanding, at least in two major productions that gave the public an idea of what this artist can do:
The phenomenal Animal Kingdom and more recently, the fabulous
Killing Them Softly
Having stated my admiration for the leading actor, I now must say that his contribution was nearly annulled by the other protagonist:
Rooney Mara
This artiste has a way of making me want to change the channel, even when she is in the company of big names.
Take Carol:
Even if the story was interesting, worthwhile and provoking, Rooney Mara has almost eliminated any pleasure.
It is also true that Cate Blanchet does not have the same appeal for this viewer as she used to possess.
Rooney Mara gives me the impression that she is over reaching; there is a sense of artificiality in her performance.
It is very likely that I am wrong and the parts require a certain awkwardness and what I call over the top is actually perfect planning.
Nevertheless, Una would have benefited from the presence of Eva Green or Kelly Reilly in my opinion.
Una comes to face Ray, many years after – I do not know how to describe this, the first impulse was to say-they have had an affair.
Una was very young, under age at the time and as aforementioned, it would be easy to dismiss this as an abuse.
Which in many ways it is, perhaps this is the main problem of this motion picture that it tries to complicate what seems so simple.
We have a much older man involved with a teenage girl and even if the latter thinks she loves him, it is a no go.
To try and analyze, tell the story could be liberal and open minded, but is it really the right thing to do?
Perhaps…
A comedian in disrepute-, which may highlight the problem of treating too lightly a serious, moral and life issue-, was talking about the need to understand and engage with a child kidnapper, if only to get to save the children involved.
In other words, Una may serve as a case study of what happens when a minor thinks she or he loves and older man.
Of course, it is much more complicated than that, for the film takes place more in the moment when the protagonists are adults and they look at this past, but I see the premise as paramount.
In many ways, it reminded me of Jagten aka The Hunt, wherein a much smaller child accuses a man of inappropriate behavior, almost ruining the life of an innocent person by just inventing a story.
Nevertheless, Jagten was in a completely different league, with a different take and a more meaningful subject.
April 11, 2023
ძალიან კარგად წერს ეს ავტორი ტრამვაზე. რამდენად ღრმად აჩნდება ადამიანს და როგორი რთულია თავი დააღწიო, როგორი რთულია განთავისუფლდე იმ ადამიანისაგან. და ამდენი საზიზღრობის მიუხედავად, ამდენი ტკვილის მიუხედავად, გგონია რომ მაინც უყვართ ამ ორ პერსონაჟს ერთმანეთი და გგონია რომ იმათაც იციან რომ უყვართ და საშინელებაა ეს ყველაფერი და კარგია, ძალიან კარგია. წერის სტილი ძალიან ჩემია. რეალური ისტორიით რომ არის შთაგონებული უკეთესს ხდის ტექსტს რატომღაც, არ ვიცი. და მონანიება, ცოდვის განთავისუფლებაც რამხელა როლს თამაშობს აქ. არ ვიცი, არ ვიცი.
March 3, 2016
David Harrower's modern masterpiece has the linguistic daring of Caryl Churchill and the intimacy of David Hare's Skylight, with a whole lot of horror mixed in.
Ray and Una are reunited, having previously had some sort of 'relationship.' I'm saying no more.
I started reading and couldn't stop. I was so horrified but so compelled by what was happening that I had the whole thing read in an hour. The ambiguity in the morals and the plot have kept this work very present in my mind.
READ IT.
Ray and Una are reunited, having previously had some sort of 'relationship.' I'm saying no more.
I started reading and couldn't stop. I was so horrified but so compelled by what was happening that I had the whole thing read in an hour. The ambiguity in the morals and the plot have kept this work very present in my mind.
READ IT.
October 2, 2013
So surprising. The language was a little hard to follow at first, but then as the plot progressed, the more clear it got. The subject matter was intense and not what I expected at all, but I ended up loving it. Such a weird, awesome, passionate, play.
March 2, 2012
Ridiculously manipulative. You think you know what's going on, and then BOOM! Yeah, I loved it. No, I didn't love it - I appreciated it.
April 23, 2017
Brutal, uncompromising. I don't think I could ever stage it or act in it. But I'm not sure I'll ever forget it.
February 4, 2019
This is probably better seen performed than read.
Read
April 8, 2020This was a VERY interesting play. I would love to see it performed and I'm definitely going to watch the movie adaptation.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews