The first handful of years in the drafting and rewriting process did not result in a workable plot, and Parks abandoned everything except the title and the main character's name.
The story revolves around Hester La Negrita and her struggle to survive with her five children, all from different fathers, in a world filled with sexual oppression.
She speaks to her friend Canary Mary about her son Boy, whom she has not seen since he was imprisoned 20 years ago for theft.
Canary confides to Hester that the Mayor has been having an affair with her and is preparing to leave the First Lady because she cannot bear a child.
Hester is frozen with shock, and when Jailbait finishes eating and begins to rape her, she is too stunned to resist.
The First Lady discovers she is pregnant and considers aborting the child since Monster may be the father, but she decides to pass the baby as the Mayor's instead.
Hester, bent on revenge against the First Lady for putting her son in prison, devises a plan with Canary to kill her.
[5] Suzan-Lori Parks wrote numerous songs for this play, often performed during break-off scenes where characters will begin to sing.
The cast included Tamarie Cooper, Amy Bruce, Charlie Scott, Amy Dickson, Andy Nelson, Troy Schulze, Lisa Marie Singerman, Cary Winscott, Keith Reynolds, Alexander Marchand, and Daniel Treadway.
Directed by Michael Greif, the cast consisted of Susan Blommaert, Bobby Cannavale, Mos Def, Peter Gerety, Jojo Gonzalez, Jesse Lenat, S. Epatha Merkerson, Manu Narayan, Chandler Parker, Daphne Rubin-Vega and Michole Briana White.
[8] It was presented Off-Broadway at the Romulus Linney Courtyard Theater, in Pershing Square Signature Center, opening on August 22, 2017, in conjunction with Parks's other play, In the Blood.
[9] Directed by Jo Bonney, the cast consisted of J. Cameron Barnett, Brandon Victor Dixon, Ben Horner, Joaquina Kalukango, Marc Kudisch, Christine Lahti, Ruibo Qian, Elizabeth Stanley, and Raphael Nash Thompson.