Mary Conde's The Tropical Breeze is mostly focused on the black body issue. There are multiple conflicts and role playings in the play. The struggle is for identity is the main resonating theme of the play.
When the play opens we are introduced with one of the protagonists of the play, Emma. She is a nude dancer who is currently living in Paris. It is the year 1986. She has no job at present and she is also aging rapidly. Although she used to be pretty at the peak point of her career. Emma's father never approved her nude dancing career. Although Emma was bothered by the stereotypes came with slavery, she knew that her body is the only thing that worked for her, not her brain. She uses primitive language of speaking. She is seen by the white community as a hyper-sexual body only.
The dancer gives refuge to a Haitian man, who has fled from his homeland. He has a wife at home and a lover. His political involvement compelled him to run away as his father or his family was a supporter of Duvalier. Revolutionary people assumed him as a spy and he had to leave the place for his life. These two people came from different places and their mindset is very much different.
Anyway, Emma falls in love with him. He was younger that Emma of course. She becomes a prey to the selfishness of Ishmael who was merely using her. He manipulated her so well. Instead of having an idea of who he actually is, Emma pushes herself and falls for her. She knows what is happening and what might happen in future yet she just floats like a twig in the middle of flood-water. The story shows the ill-effects of a one sided relationship. There are some rueful fun moments in the play but it associates itself with Greek tragedies.
