Four Plays: A Thought in Three Parts, Marie and Bruce, Aunt Dan and Lemon, the Fever

Rating:
Summary: A genius playwright who doesn't get enough credit
Review: A THOUGHT IN THREE PARTS- a brilliant trilogy of three plays where Shawn explores the consequences of minds laid bare. A very sexually charged no bull dialogue where thoughts are scattered and pieced together without inhibition to explore human thought. An amazing play that really draws you in.

MARIE AND BRUCE- Another blunt exploration of the human condition in which Shawn portrays a wife with no problem laying her thoughts and feelings out in the open against a socially and emotionally inhibited husband who easily bends to the strong, decisive will of his wife because of his lack of will and superficial feelings. It is much more complex than I could explain but an impressive contrast of characters.

AUNT DAN AND LEMON- A very interesting tale of a girl and her friendship with an acquaintance of the family that leads her to explore truths that doesn't get discussed at cocktail parties. A good story that gets turned into great social commentary.

THE FEVER- An unbelieveable tale of a privelaged man recalling the tale of his growing up and sorting out the ideas of Communism but more so of social class. He goes through a mental journey of how he came to be in possession of the things he has and the history behind political movements. The best piece of social and political literature I've ever read. There's a lot of truth in this play and I would recommend this over any works of Marx.

Overall a collection of four great plays. No weak link. Wallace Shawn is truly one of the greatest playwrights of our time. I'm sure we'll all look back and realize this.

Rating:
Summary: Unique and disturbing
Review: There is not, and to my knowledge has never been, a playwright like Wallace Shawn. His plays are not the least bit entertaining, nor were they intended to be. They are the intellectual equivalent of dining on razor blades.

This collection is a nice balance of his early, sexually and emotionally explicit plays -- imagine "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" meets "Oh, Calcutta" -- along with his two great works of political and moral philosophy, "Aunt Dan and Lemon" and "The Fever".

It's hard to describe the latter works, hard to convey their brilliance, difficulty, and, finally, their tremendous ability to disturb. "The Fever" is a monologue and "Aunt Dan and Lemon" relies as much on monologue as dialogue, so neither has ever been much of a hit with audiences used to soundbites and smash cuts. Both could also be said to be assaults on the audience, for you cannot sit through productions of them or read them without having some fundamental beliefs questioned and, if you've really paid attention, upset. At their heart, these works seek to undermine a simple belief which most of us take for granted: that we live a relatively moral, decent life and that we are, at heart, a good person.

There are very few writers who I think are truly necessary, writers without whose voices I would feel absolutely bereft, even less human. Wallace Shawn is one of those writers.

Rating:
Summary: Unique and disturbing
Review: There is not, and to my knowledge has never been, a playwright like Wallace Shawn. His plays are not the least bit entertaining, nor were they intended to be. They are the intellectual equivalent of dining on razor blades.

This collection is a nice balance of his early, sexually and emotionally explicit plays -- imagine "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" meets "Oh, Calcutta" -- along with his two great works of political and moral philosophy, "Aunt Dan and Lemon" and "The Fever".

It's hard to describe the latter works, hard to convey their brilliance, difficulty, and, finally, their tremendous ability to disturb. "The Fever" is a monologue and "Aunt Dan and Lemon" relies as much on monologue as dialogue, so neither has ever been much of a hit with audiences used to soundbites and smash cuts. Both could also be said to be assaults on the audience, for you cannot sit through productions of them or read them without having some fundamental beliefs questioned and, if you've really paid attention, upset. At their heart, these works seek to undermine a simple belief which most of us take for granted: that we live a relatively moral, decent life and that we are, at heart, a good person.

There are very few writers who I think are truly necessary, writers without whose voices I would feel absolutely bereft, even less human. Wallace Shawn is one of those writers.

Rating:
Summary: most underrated american playwright
Review: Wallace Shawn doesn't get produced much in America; in fact several of his earlier plays were never produced and are now impossible to find. This must be because they're so unnervingly original. They take on subjects other playwrights fear (such as whether writing a play is worthwhile), and they include monologues which any actor would drool over. They also radicalize form, enabling a much wider range of topics and possibilities within a single play than I've ever seen elsewhere. I'm very excited that this book has reprinted one of Shawn's long-lost early plays (too ugly for the NEA!) along with his newer, starker work. I also strongly recommend his newest play "The Designated Mourner".

Rating:
Summary: most underrated american playwright
Review: Wally Shawn is truly a genius, unsung, who has influenced a number of important playwrights and writers. Peremptorily odd plays and not for everyone, but artful, articulate, risky and amazing...he'll be appreciated postmortem, but read him now, and pray that he gets produced more often in the US.