Excerpt from an Interview with Playwright Larry Parr

Ethel Waters: His Eye Is On The Sparrow was commissioned by Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota as part of its New Play Development Program and premiered in 2005. It is the third in a trilogy of one-person shows playwright Larry Parr has written about influential African-American women in show business that began with “Hi-Hat Hattie,” (1991) about Hattie McDaniel, and continued with “My Castle’s Rockin’,” (1996) about singer Alberta Hunter. Parr first discovered Waters when he was given a copy of her biography by a friend in high school. “I loved Ethel Waters when I was a kid. It seemed to me she would be my ideal mother or grandmother. As I learned more about her, I was astounded that someone who came from such an awful beginning, and who grew up in such a horrible situation, with no one to love her, could rise to such magnificent stardom and become such a strong symbol of faith. How did this happen? Well, that’s a story I wanted to tell.” Parr wanted to do more than highlight Waters’ early struggles and ultimate successes. “I thought it was extremely important to tell the story of a woman who had every right on earth to be a racist, yet who overcame that racism with a strong sense of will and faith. To me, that story gives hope to the rest of humanity.”

Ethel Waters: His Eye Is On The Sparrow finds Waters in a later, happier period of her career, singing with the Billy Graham Crusades. She recounts the trials and accomplishments in her life while singing many of the hits for which she is so well known. “One goal I set for myself in writing [the play] was to use the wonderful music associated with Ethel Waters in a way that would help illustrate her compelling story,” says Parr.