Prologue Part 1 Summary

A drum sits in the middle of the stage. A dancer comes and sits astride the drum. A Figure in formal clothes and stylized makeup comes and stands behind the dancer. As the offstage chorus sings a lament, the Figure and dancer move in time to the music, separate and move towards two cages, one on either side of the stage. As the lament continues, the Figure turns a suspended disc representing the moon so that its other side, the sun, is facing the audience. At the same time, light illuminates the cages and the black men inside, Tigre and Souris.

The chorus sings a song about a mother whose son is in jail. As they sing, the Corporal, a man of mixed race, brings in Makak, an old black man wearing a loincloth. As Tigre and Souris join in the...