"Like a Dizzy Gillespie trumpet solo or Billie Holiday singing "Strange Fruit," the show emits an irrepressible energy that can't be quashed. This life force is where the "meaning" of The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World lies, and you don't need a Ph.D. in dramatic literature to feel it.  Melrose's poetic production rescues Parks' most precious play from the confines of the ivory tower and puts it where it belongs — do drop be dripted, dammit — on stage."

-Chloe Veltman

The SF Weekly​

THE DEATH OF THE LAST BLACK MAN IN THE WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD by Suzan-Lori Parks
The Cutting Ball Theater

Rob Melrose, Artistic Director May 19 - June 24, 2006

​Directed by Rob Melrose
Set Design by Liliana Dunque-Piñeiro
Costume Design by Claire Calderwood
Lighting Design by Rob Melrose
Original Music / Sound Design by Cliff Caruthers
Production Stage Management by Laura Davis
Assistant Stage Management by Robert McPhee
Produced by Adriana Baer

​Cast

The inimitable genius of Suzan-Lori Parks is on display in a remarkably ambitious Cutting Ball Theater production, smartly staged by Artistic Director Rob Melrose at Exit on Taylor. This is heady, challenging drama, comic, thought-provoking and somewhat subversively moving...  It's an important piece for anyone interested in the future of American theater. As staged by Cutting Ball, it's also a pleasure."  

-Robert Hurwitt

The San Francisco Chronicle​

THE DEATH OF THE LAST BLACK MAN IN THE WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD - THE CUTTING BALL THEATER

Director • Translator • Playwright     

Rob Melrose

"There's a lot to admire in director Rob Melrose's strong production, from Liliana Duque Pineiro's handsome wood-plank set to Melrose's sharp lighting design."

-Chad Jones

The Oakland Tribune​

Photos by Rob Melrose