Flyin' West | Literary Criticism & Book Review

Flyin' West Critical Overview

Critical reception of Flyin' West has been overwhelmingly positive. Critics commend Cleage for portraying a forgotten chapter in history and for doing so in a way that empowers women. Jane T. Peterson and Suzanne Bennett in Women Playwrights of Diversity: A Bio-Bibliographical Source-book wrote that this play "provides a new and unique perspective on the traditional telling of how the West was won." Similarly, Cathy Madison of American Theatre wrote, "Frank's fate is ultimately decided by the women themselves. Unwilling as they are to relinquish their land and freedom, they manage to offer a searing new testament to how the West was won." Addressing the importance of Cleage's focus on history in several of her plays (including Flyin' West), Freda Scott Giles observed in African American Review:

Cleage seeks to bring us to grips with our American
past and to help us understand and acknowledge its
impact...
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