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Rating: 
Summary: A paradox of a play, both elegant and zany
Review: "The Skin of Our Teeth" is one of those plays that polarizes all who read it--people either love it unconditionally or hate it with fiery passion. From the rating I gave, I fall into the former category. Deeply indebted to Joyce's glorious mess "Finnegan's Wake," "The Skin of Our Teeth" rejects linear time and mashes all eras of human history into the story of a single American family. The Antrobus family and their maid Sabina exist simultaneously as archetypes (the Innovator, the Matriarch, the Temptress, the Rebel, etc.) and as unique characters all their own. The family narrowly survives all sorts of Biblical-esque disasters. Periodically, the characters break the forth wall, and speak directly to the audience in the guise of actors performing the play, to comment on Wilder's work. "Ms. Somerset," the actress playing Sabina, famously claims "I don't understand a word of this play," displaying how easy it is to get caught up in the motions of history, and how difficult to break out of established roles. The play ends as it begins, the cycle starts anew, and the audience is thanked for coming; the actors and characters stay, ever performing, ever surviving, if only by the skin of their teeth.
Rating:
Summary: A paradox of a play, both elegant and zany
Review: "The Skin of Our Teeth" is one of those plays that polarizes all who read it--people either love it unconditionally or hate it with fiery passion. From the rating I gave, I fall into the former category. Deeply indebted to Joyce's glorious mess "Finnegan's Wake," "The Skin of Our Teeth" rejects linear time and mashes all eras of human history into the story of a single American family. The Antrobus family and their maid Sabina exist simultaneously as archetypes (the Innovator, the Matriarch, the Temptress, the Rebel, etc.) and as unique characters all their own. The family narrowly survives all sorts of Biblical-esque disasters. Periodically, the characters break the forth wall, and speak directly to the audience in the guise of actors performing the play, to comment on Wilder's work. "Ms. Somerset," the actress playing Sabina, famously claims "I don't understand a word of this play," displaying how easy it is to get caught up in the motions of history, and how difficult to break out of established roles. The play ends as it begins, the cycle starts anew, and the audience is thanked for coming; the actors and characters stay, ever performing, ever surviving, if only by the skin of their teeth.
Rating:
Summary: "The end of this play isn't written yet."
Review: Ignoring the conventions of time, this playful "message play" follows one family from the days of the glaciers and dinosaurs to a post-apocalyptic, modern world. George Antrobus, the inventor of the wheel, and Maggie, his wife, the inventor of the apron, have two children, Gladys and Henry (whose previous name was Cain). The bossy father, domestic and subservient mother, aggressive and dangerous son, and innocent daughter interact, often humorously, onstage and are also seen through the viewpoint of Sabina, the flirtatious maid. As the play progresses through the eras, Wilder raises questions about civilization and values. George, by Act II, is convinced that the world is made for pleasure and power, but by the final act, after a world cataclysm, the family confronts what is truly important in their lives.
A pet dinosaur and a wooly mammoth, the Boardwalk of New Jersey and the Miss America contest, the fraternal Order of Mammals (of which George is President), and the attempted seduction of George and his fellow Mammals by predatory women all add to the visual appeal of this production. Though the play pretends to be traditional in its dramatic structure, it takes liberties with the audience as the various actors step out of character to address the audience, as does the director. At one point Sabina refuses to play a scene, summarizing it for the audience as the director and George plead with her.
First produced in 1942, the play reflects Wilder's fear that the war then engulfing the world might truly be a war for the future of civilization. His conclusion, which highlights the values of western philosophers, such as Spinoza, Aristotle, and Plato, also reflects his religious beliefs and his belief in the enduring values of (western) literature. "We've come a long way--we're learning," he says, hopefully, but he also reminds us that "the end of this play isn't written yet." Creative and original in its day, the play represents a major moment in American theater. Less innovative now, more than sixty years later, it still offers food for thought in its reminder of enduring values and its questions about what we value and would save from our own lives in a similar cataclysm. Mary Whipple
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