Princess & The Hustler – Chinonyerem Odimba

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Overview of the Play

  • Chinonyerem Odimba's play×Princess & The Hustler×explores the lives of a Jamaican-British family living in Bristol during the 1960s.
  • The play is set against the backdrop of the Bristol Bus Boycott, a pivotal moment in the fight against racial discrimination in Britain.
  • The protagonist is Phyllis "Princess" James, a smart, sensitive and determined child who dreams of winning the Weston-super-Mare beauty pageant.
  • The play explores the marginalisation of Black communities, tensions between Black and white populations in 1960s Britain, and the personal resilience needed to face such challenges.
  • Odimba describes the play as being about how racism robs us all of our love and our dreams.
  • Despite its serious themes, the tone of the play remains optimistic and celebratory, celebrating self-belief, solidarity, and the pursuit of dreams.

Historical and Social Context

  • The Windrush generation refers to Caribbean migrants who came to Britain between 1948 and 1973, named after the HMT Empire Windrush.
  • Many migrants arrived expecting a warm welcome but faced racist hostility and systemic barriers to housing and employment.
  • Princess' parents, Wendell and Mavis, are part of the Windrush generation; their experiences reflect both hope and prejudice.
  • In Bristol in the early 1960s, the Bristol Omnibus Company enforced a colour bar, preventing Black and Asian people from working as bus crews.
  • The Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963 was a landmark protest organised by members of the West Indian community, including Paul Stephenson and Roy Hackett.
  • The boycott lasted four months and successfully ended the bus company's discriminatory hiring practices.
  • Odimba spoke at length with Paul Stephenson before writing the play, and he is mentioned by name in the play.

Literary Context: Social Realism

  • ×Princess & The Hustler×is best understood as a piece of social realism, blending real and imagined elements.
  • It depicts the speech patterns of real people: Wendell speaks in Jamaican patois, while Margot uses a Bristolian accent and dialect.
  • The play focuses on how real political and social issues affect characters, such as anti-Black discrimination and the threat of physical harm.
  • It uses real historical events as a backdrop, particularly the Bristol Bus Boycott.
  • The play uses real settings: the vast majority of the action takes place in Princess' family home, with the only other setting being the Bristol Docks (Act 1, Scene 6).

Plot Summary: Act 1

  • The play opens with Princess in her "cupboard room", pretending to be crowned the winner of the Weston-super-Mare beauty pageant.
  • Her fantasy is interrupted by her mother Mavis, who reprimands her and her brother Junior.
  • Wendell "The Hustler" James, Mavis' estranged husband, arrives unexpectedly, revealing he has a nine-year-old daughter, Lorna, from another relationship.
  • Mavis initially orders Wendell to leave, even threatening him with a knife, but eventually allows Lorna to stay for a few days.
  • Princess discovers that Wendell is her father; Junior is cold and resentful towards him.
  • Wendell takes Princess and Lorna to Bristol Docks, where he leaves them alone while he gambles at cards.
  • Junior confronts Wendell, who pins him against a wall and insists he has returned to be a good father.
  • By the end of Act 1, Mavis is persuaded by Princess to let Wendell and Lorna stay temporarily.

Plot Summary: Act 2

  • Wendell forbids Lorna from attending a party unless Princess is also invited, highlighting the discrimination Princess faces.
  • Junior becomes more politically active, mentioning that students will march in support of the Bristol Bus Boycott.
  • Tensions rise between Wendell and Margot, who is dismissive of the bus boycott and the Black community's struggles.
  • Junior is attacked by a group of white youths on his way home from a protest march.
  • Lorna tells Princess she won't get attacked because she isn't Black like Princess: she is "only half".
  • Junior gives Wendell a bag of money he has saved and asks him to leave, to protect the family.
  • Princess destroys her "cupboard world" with scissors and runs away from home.

Plot Summary: Act 3

  • Princess is discovered hiding in Margot's flat, having cut her own hair short and uneven.
  • Margot returns Princess to Mavis, and their relationship is repaired; Mavis says Margot is "welcome…any time".
  • Wendell returns after two days; Junior accuses him of stealing the money, but Margot returns the bag, revealing Princess took it.
  • Princess admits she took the money to pay for the family to go to Weston-super-Mare for her beauty pageant.
  • Wendell is vindicated and explains he has been involved with the bus boycott.
  • Wendell proposes to remarry Mavis; she does not say yes but does not refuse.
  • A radio announcement confirms the lifting of the colour bar, and the family dress smartly to celebrate.
  • In the final scene, Princess recreates her pageant; Wendell, dressed in women's clothing, crowns her, and the room explodes into a world of pageantry with Black women of all sizes and nations.

Themes: Belonging and Identity

  • The play explores how characters yearn for belonging and the consequences when acceptance is denied.
  • Princess is marginalised due to her racial identity: she is not invited to a party that Lorna is invited to.
  • When Junior is attacked, Princess confronts the reality that her Black identity makes her more vulnerable to harm (Act 2, Scene 3).
  • Princess destroys her "cupboard world" and cuts her own hair, symbolising a rejection of her identity.
  • Lorna feels a lack of belonging, lamenting she is "Only half…Half-sister. Half-caste. Half-everything".
  • By the end, Princess embraces her cultural heritage; the final scene is a visual celebration of Black femininity.
  • Odimba presents racism as corrosive to one's sense of identity and self, but emphasises the importance of embracing one's cultural heritage.

Themes: Family, Hope and Ambition

  • The play is centred on the complex family dynamic within Princess' family, moving from fraught and fractured to unified and loving.
  • Mavis is a loving and protective parent, consistently supportive of Princess and reminding her she is "the prettiest of them all" (Act 3, Scene 5).
  • Wendell is celebrated for reconnecting with his family, dressing in women's clothing for Princess' pageant and expressing astonishment at her "cupboard world".
  • Junior shows care for Princess, reassuring her after Mavis slaps her and insisting Leon takes the girls home from the docks.
  • The play is hopeful, foregrounding the successes of the James family in pushing back against oppressive structures.
  • Mavis hopes that things and people can change, saying she "pray that dis country…truly see de possibilities of our children" (Act 3, Scene 5).
  • Wendell and Junior find purpose in protesting against the colour bar; Wendell states he's "a hundred percent committed to see dem men…inna bus company uniform" (Act 2, Scene 5).
  • Odimba presents hope as a vital and unifying force that connects different characters and generations.

Themes: Activism and Protest

  • The play unequivocally celebrates the Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963.
  • Characters refer to injustices faced by Black people: Wendell asks "wha' kind of world put men in di same sentence as dogs".
  • Wendell refers to Roy Hackett and Paul Stephenson by name (Act 2, Scene 2) and mentions institutional discrimination in the police, fire brigade and NHS.
  • Protest is a uniting force: by the end, Mavis, Junior and Wendell are all involved in activism.
  • A key moment of closeness between Mavis and Wendell occurs when she says "You make me proud 'usband" (Act 2, Scene 2).
  • Odimba describes "Black joy…in itself [as] a form of resistance in this moment".
  • The penultimate scene features a radio broadcast announcing the lifting of the colour bar, and the family go out to "celebrate this win…with our people".

Characters

  • Princess (Phyllis): A smart, sensitive, determined child who dreams of winning the beauty pageant; her "cupboard world" is central to her identity; she experiences discrimination but ultimately embraces her cultural heritage.
  • Wendell (The Hustler): Princess' estranged father, part of the Windrush generation; initially irresponsible and focused on money, but follows a redemptive arc, becoming politically active and reintegrated into the family.
  • Mavis: The formidable matriarch; fiercely protective and sometimes quick to anger, but consistently loving and supportive; she becomes more hopeful and celebrates the bus boycott's success.
  • Wendell "Junior": Princess' seventeen-year-old brother; passionate about photography, sceptical of his father, and becomes more politically active; he repairs his relationship with Wendell by the end.
  • Margot: A complex neighbour who cares for the family but embodies casual racism; she is dismissive of the bus boycott, creating distance with Mavis, but their relationship is repaired.
  • Lorna: Wendell's nine-year-old daughter from another relationship; she feels a lack of belonging and struggles with her mixed-race identity.
  • Leon: Junior's friend who first mentions the protests against the colour bar.

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  1. 1.In Chinonyerem Odimba's Princess & The Hustler, in which city is the play set?

    Easy
    • ALondon
    • BBristol
    • CWeston-super-Mare
    • DBirmingham

  2. 2.In Princess & The Hustler, how old is Phyllis 'Princess' James?

    Easy
    • A7
    • B10
    • C13
    • D17

  3. 3.In Princess & The Hustler, how old is Wendell 'Junior' James?

    Easy
    • A10
    • B13
    • C17
    • D21

  4. 4.In Princess & The Hustler, what does Princess dream of winning?

    Medium
    • AThe Bristol Bus Boycott prize
    • BThe Weston-super-Mare Beauties of the West Contest
    • CA scholarship to a drama school
    • DA photography competition

  5. 5.In Princess & The Hustler, what is the name of Princess's brother?

    Medium
    • AWendell Junior
    • BLeon
    • CLorna
    • DMargot

  6. 6.In Princess & The Hustler, which character is described as embodying 'casual racism'?

    Medium
    • AMavis
    • BMargot
    • CLorna
    • DLeon

  7. 7.In Princess & The Hustler, where does Princess hide after running away from home?

    Medium
    • AAt the Bristol Docks
    • BIn Margot's flat
    • CAt her school
    • DIn the cupboard room

  8. 8.In Princess & The Hustler, what does Princess do to her hair after running away?

    Medium
    • AShe dyes it blonde
    • BShe cuts it short and uneven
    • CShe ties it up with a ribbon
    • DShe covers it with a headdress

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