Phumzile Sitole, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, and Mirirai Sithole; photo by Joan Marcus
Points of View: If Pretty Hurts...
Video
If Pretty Hurts Ugly Must Be a Muhfucka
Mainstage Theater
Written by Tori Sampson
Directed by Leah C. Gardiner
Choreographed by Raja Feather Kelly
World Premiere
Chorus
There can only be one star. So why you hatin’?
In the village of Affreakah-Amirrorkah, no one questions that Akim is the one true, perfect beauty — not even her jealous classmates. But they’ll be damned before they let her be the leading lady in this story. A decidedly contemporary riff on a West African fable, Tori Sampson’s explosive epic is brimming with live music and dance, as these frenemies jockey for their rank in a culture built on ideals forever out of reach.
2018 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist
Kennedy Center’s 2017 Paula Vogel Playwright
Featuring
Chorus
Dad
Massassi
Kasim
Akim
Adama
Kaya
The Voice of the River
Creative Team
ReviewsLouisa Thompson
Scenic Design
Dede Ayite
Costume Design
Matt Frey
Lighting Design
Ian Scot
Original Music and Sound Design
Cookie Jordan
Hair and Wig Design
Alyssa K. Howard
Production Stage Manager
Noah Silva
Assistant Stage Manager
“Critic’s Pick! ‘Beauty, Blackness, and Beyoncé. Tori Sampson’s delicious new play is an auspicious professional playwriting debut.’”
— Jesse Green, The New York Times“If Pretty Hurts is full of winking whimsy and frightening recognitions — it’s got teeth.”
— Sara Holdren, New York Magazine
