Sorry...Not much to do with Prince other than....

"The play is set in 1989, with the title a reference to an unreleased but much-bootlegged Prince album from the period."

.....but for all the completists out there...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/h...144170.stm

I wonder how he linked Prince's album to a play on Islam..it cant be just because of the year..I'm sure it will come out in a later review..

I forget the book, but some guy once write a book based on the Lovesexy album. He took the characters of Camille, Gregory, Anna Stasia and wrote a whole book on it. I remember seeing it on Amazon.com.

ernestsewell said:

now THAT sounds like an interesting read..

Here's a review of the book.

From Library Journal
Kureishi's first novel, The Buddha of Suburbia (LJ 3/15/90), won England's Whitbread Prize; he is also famous for writing the screenplay of the film My Beautiful Laundrette (Faber & Faber, 1986). This, his second novel, is a portrait of Shahid Hasan, a young Pakistani student torn between a love affair with his college professor, DeeDee Osgood, and his political work with Islamics fighting racism. Kureishi portrays a bleak, drug-infested world full of offbeat sexual encounters. But like the student he depicts, he asks many questions: Can anywhere really be home for an immigrant living between two cultures? Should friends share similar values? Does wisdom come from what we know, or what we don't know? But this makes the novel sound too planned, too arranged. Instead, it's a rollicking, cross-cultural look at modern London life: sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll seen through the eyes of a minority not sure of what path to follow. Recommended for most collections.

It has virtually nothing to do with Prince.
[Edited 7/12/09 15:06pm]

mynameisnotsusan said:

Huh?..The black album isnt even the background music for some poignant scene? Or he's caught with the black album and they equate that to the western world? I'm overthinking it Oh well..thnx for the info

love this book. good stuff. The connection to Prince is about not being one thing or another. The main character is caught between being a Muslim and loving western culture, pop music and white women. Has everything and nothing to do with Prince.
[Edited 7/12/09 15:13pm]

SavonOsco said:

Indeed.

I thought I heard that this book was withdrawn. The author found it too dark. Hanif Kureishi doesn't want this book to be the last thing he's remembered for if he passes away.

It won't be the first time someone tried to capitalize off of the "the Black Album" title.
Ain't that right Jigga!

squirrelgrease said:

Very good.

The protagonist on the front cover actually looks like Prince on one of his single covers (i think When Doves Cry - with those massive sun-glasses - but correct me if i'm wrong). Also, by the looks of it, the book deals with conflicts as does the Black Album / Lovesexy. That's just the surface and i'm sure there are more links to the Black Album.

The "Black Album" from Kureishi deals with a man who struggles in his student life and position he has towards the religion he was raised in and his real convictions and faith..
The man is also addicted to Prince's music...
I reallly enjoy Kureishi's novels.. always interesting: dealing with fantasies, fears, joys and sadnesses

I enjoyed this book though its been years since I read it. Seem to remember the central character owning the bootleg Black Album on vinyl and playing it in his flat so it'd be interesting to see if Prince is allowing this to happen on stage.

IMO Tara Arts are a great company and they've got Sister Bliss handling the music so it'll be interesting to see how it's received...

www.nationaltheatre.org.u...album.html

Reviews are in. Not great.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/h...162866.stm