Hurt Village Show Poster

Hurt Village Critics’ Reviews

It’s the end of a long summer in Hurt Village, a housing project in Memphis. A government Hope Grant means relocation for many of the project’s residents, including Cookie, a 13-year-old aspiring rapper, along with her mother Crank and great-grandmother Big Mama. As the family prepares to move, Cookie’s father Buggy unexpectedly returns from a tour of duty in Iraq. Ravaged by the war, Buggy struggles to find a position in his disintegrating community, along with a place in his daughter’s wounded heart.

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About Hurt Village

What Is the Story of Hurt Village?
Set in the crumbling Hurt Village housing project in Memphis, Katori Hall’s drama is the story of Cookie, a 13-year-old girl who wants to be a rapper. Cookie lives with her mother, Crank (who collects welfare and receives cash under the table as a hairstylist), and her great-grandmother, Big Mama (who is proud to be a hard-working nurse). When Memphis is awarded a government grant to demolish Hurt Village, Cookie and her family must move out. As the family is packing to leave, Cookie’s father, Buggy, returns home from Iraq and tries to reconnect with his daughter and the community. But when Big Mama discovers she makes too much money to qualify for section 8 housing in the suburbs, the family’s dreams are dashed. With nowhere to go, each family member searches for a way to survive.

Reviews

critics reviews Critics’ Reviews (2)
A collection of our favorite reviews from professional news sources.
New York Daily News

"Stories about the cycle of poverty are common, but the fine acting does wonders to drive this one home. "

New York Daily News

Joe Dziemianowicz

The New York Times

"'Hurt Village' is as lucid as any work I know in identifying rap (and dissing) as both a weapon and a release, a brandishing of arms and of affection."

The New York Times

Ben Brantley

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