Plays Read In 2020: My Thoughts

Hey friends! Trying to keep up that "at least one blog post a month" thing. You'd think the pandemic would mean more time to read plays at home, but two jobs + home chores have kind of destroyed that opportunity in my case. (Disclaimer: I'm grateful for the privilege to still have work.)

Oddly enough, 3/4 of these plays were read in January--Virginia Repertory Theatre had about a month between shows after the intense holiday season, which meant a break from house managing and more time to catch up on my reading list. So far this year I've read a LOT of contemporary works, and I'm making an effort to read more plays written by women or people of color. Let me know if you have any recommendations for when life gets a little less packed and I have time to dive back into it! :)

• Red by John Logan (4/5 ☆s)

This play was probably my favorite read the year (so far). I didn't know anything about the artist Mark Rothko before reading it, and it was interesting to learn about his work. The dialogue between his character and the other main character Ken was beautifully written, especially their debates about impressionism, imbuing art with emotion, and what constitutes "selling out". The innovative stage directions made me itch to see this play performed ASAP (although with the pandemic growing across the country, who knows when that will be). 

• Electricidad by Luis Alfaro (3.5/5 ☆s)

I first read Elektra like seven years ago, but I don't you need to in order to grasp the concepts of this Chicano retelling of the story. The bilingual nature of the writing was masterfully done--I don't know Spanish, but I didn't have any trouble understanding what was being conveyed. The plot felt very much like the myth on which it was based: painful, but honest. 

• Boleros for the Disenchanted by José Rivera (3/5 ☆s)

I liked some aspects of this work: most of the characters were multifaceted and had interesting points of view, and I think it's a very realistic (albeit somewhat depressing) look at the trials and tribulations of marriage. The playwright appeared to make sweeping generalizations about gender roles in regards to romantic relationships, but in the context of a traditional and somewhat patriarchal culture. I'm still unsure whether that was supposed to be a reflection of his personal views or an examination of the culture to which the characters belong, so I'm on the fence as to whether I liked that aspect or found it troubling.

• Other Desert Cities by Jon Robin Baitz (3.5/5 ☆s)

This play about an upperclass family with a ton of skeletons in their closets spending a holiday together was an intellectual challenge. Reading it felt almost like I was solving a mystery. As a female-identifying actor, I found the female-identifying characters absolutely fascinating. Just on the first read, I could think of multiple ways an actor could play certain moments or interpret parts of the text. No one could be described as one-note, and the moral ambiguity of the family members made the tension practically leap off the page. While some parts of the story felt a bit convoluted or predictable, I have to admit that the "twist" in Act II made my jaw drop. 

• David's Redhaired Death by Sherry Kramer (3.5/5 ☆s)

This was one of the more experimental works I've read this year. The plot seems a tad zany to start--Jean goes on a road trip to find her deceased brother's girlfriend, finds out she's a fellow redhead, and sort of falls in love with her???--I was taken by the heavy metaphors, nonlinear structure, and use of repetition. The play felt kind of like a zany, psychedelic dream that managed to be comedic while also being somehow incredibly devastating...a bizarre dichotomy that oddly encapsulates healing one's grief. I will say, however, that some scenes felt like they were trying too hard to be edgy or provocative, and occasionally the dialogue seemed more silly than profound. Overall, I really enjoyed the read, and would be very interested in seeing it performed. 

• Cry It Out by Molly Smith Metzler (3/5 ☆s)

My interest in this plat stemmed from the fact that the cast was largely women, diverse in their experiences and identities, in a play written by a woman. I was a little hesitant because every piece of media about ~motherhood~ tends to discuss the same topics over and over again: breastfeeding v bottle-feeding, stay at home v. be a working mom, how a baby can torpedo a heteronormative marriage, etc. But I gave it a shot anyway. Even though it's true that my suspicions were somewhat correct-- this play didn't have a lot to say about motherhood that we haven't already heard--there were some surprises in the way the choices certain characters were demonized/validated and then redeemed/vilified. I really liked the emphasis on female friendship, especially the scenes between the two main characters. 

• Legacy of Light by Karen Zacarias (3.5/5 ☆s)

This play was fascinating! I'd never heard of Émilie du Châtelet or her impact on physics. It makes me sad that her contributions to science have been overshadowed by her reputation as Voltaire's lover. This work did a good job of showing how her situation mirrors that of a modern-day female scientist, although I did think that the similarities were a bit heavy-handed at times. Some of the monologues would be beautiful choices for any female-identifying actors looking for audition material, and the lighting/scenic design potential could be incredible! 

(I'm hoping at some point to get my hands on Émilie: La Marquise Du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight by Lauren Gunderson so I can see how that interpretation of Émilie's story compares to this one.)

• 4 Women by Ariel Stess (2.5/5 ☆s)

What drew me to this play was the promise of four women characters with unique stories, motivations, and experiences. Unfortunately, I found the majority of the plot convoluted and underdeveloped, and most of the characters flat and one-dimensional. That said, I did appreciate that these four women were all substantially different, and the attempt to intersperse the different plot-lines and create interesting conversations between the characters was a valiant one. I just think it could have been better executed. Perhaps if I were seeing it performed, inventive staging and creative set/costume/sound/lighting design could have improved the experience? 

• How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel (3/5 ☆s)

I know, I'm a bad theatre person for never reading this until now. As expected by the controversial subject matter, I found it frustrating in an interesting (and maybe even good?) way. Little Bit's twisted relationship to her family members offers so many cool opportunities from an acting perspective, but I think that the play was written for a very specific moment in our society's understanding of sexual coercion/abuse. I don't know if I could see a play like that as an audience member and not walk out feeling disappointed by the strange redemption given to the character I would personally classify as a monster. I know some people would respond with, "Well, that's the point" or "The play's supposed to make you question." But I don't know if this is a subject that needs much 'questioning' anymore--maybe in 1997 when the play was written, but not now. 

• Pretty to the Bone by Yvonne Adrian, Cheryl Stern, and Tom Kochan (2/5 ☆s)

Maybe it was a mistake to read a musical instead of listening to it, but I did it anyway. This work basically embodied an after-school-special about eating disorders...which might work for a younger audience, but didn't work for me. While I commend the attempt to explore such a serious topic and the many risk factors that could influence a person' body images, I think some of the information was poorly-relayed. For example, there is a song dedicated to blaming the mother for her daughter's eating disorder because she chose to go back to work instead of staying at home, which looks like a harsh judgment of working moms regardless of the intention. What's more, I found both the lyrics to the songs as well as the characters singing them to be extremely bland and stereotypical, to the point where I could not take them seriously. 

• Silence, Cunning, Exile by Stuart Greenman (3/5 ☆s)

This work was allegedly inspired by photographer Diane Arbus, in snapshots of her life: first as a sheltered housewife, then an artist one minute away from a breakdown. At first, I found this play a little too "weird" (for lack of a better word). But its dark plot was also enthralling, and the characters as well. The women in this play were allowed to be just as complicated, dangerous, and depraved as the men, which as an actor intrigued and excited me. The tense final scene between the two women was my favorite.

• I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Jacques Lamarre (4/5 ☆s)

This play was HYSTERICAL. Based on Guilia Melucci's memoir about dating misadventures and Italian cooking, this one-woman show had a wonderful balance of comedy, heart, and wisdom. The script navigates the storyteller's anecdotes with plucky quips that somehow refrain from feeling cheesy or like excerpts from Eat, Pray, Love. Apparently when performed, the actor also cooks live--what a dream, right??? The only thing I didn't love about it was one story in particular that felt just a little too outlandish...I won't spoil for you, but it involves an ice cream scoop. 

• Mother's Day by Barbara McConagha (2/5 ☆s)

If you've ever seen an episode of Law & Order, NCIS, Criminal Minds, or really any courtroom drama ever, you can skip this one. Every character was a caricature, the plot was predictable, and the writing lacked nuance. The only part that was kind of interesting was the son's monologue about why he committed the crime--had the playwright taken the minor hints at nature v. nurture and ran with that, the play would have come out stronger for it. 

• Playland by Athol Fugard (3/5 ☆s)

The most interesting facet of this work is it's multi-layered and mysterious characters: one, a white veteran of the Border War between South Africa and SWAPO (South West African People's Organization) and the other, a black night watchman at a mobile amusement park. Before reading this, I had little knowledge of the the Namibian liberation movement, so this was an eye-opening and interesting read just for that detail. The overall debate of morality in the context of war is a fascinating and almost unanswerable question, and this play addressed it well. I did find some of the dialogue so confusing that I had to reread it several times--that doesn't make the play or the experience of it reading it bad of course, but I thought I'd mention it.