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I've explained in my profile, but I should probably explain again in a post that this blog is meant to be almost entirely self-serving (for which I apologize). My goal is to read or see ALL of the plays that have ever been published and to write a little about my opinion of those plays and the characters (if there are any) that I want to play at some point in my life. I realize that I would be hard-pressed to actually read all of the plays in the world, but we'll just see how it goes :)
"Finding The Sun" (Edward Albee, 1994) is very quick and to the point. The dramatic action takes place entirely on a sunny beach, with a handful of characters who are mostly all related to one another in some fashion: Daniel and Benjamin used to be lovers, Cordelia and Abigail are their respective wives and Gertrude and Henden (married) are, from previous marriages, Cordelia's mother and Daniel's father. Edmee and her son Fergus are the only two who don't belong to the bunch, but they are quickly engulfed by the dissatisfaction looming over the rest.
I'm not really sure what to say about this show. It's certainly an excellent portrayal of why you shouldn't marry someone you're not romantically attracted to. The best line comes when Cordelia asks, casually, if Daniel is sleeping with men behind her back. He tells her not to pry and she says, "I love you, you see." Daniel's response: "And I love you. I've got a very roomy heart."
But it's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" depressing without the powerful pay-off. You don't really have enough time to care about the characters (unless the actors are charming as hell) so when bad things happen to them (I'll avoid the details for those who likely haven't seen the show) it's difficult to stay emotionally involved. In that way the length of the show is helpful; it's over in the time it takes the clouds to come between the sun and those seeking it. The metaphor is nice, but perhaps not enough by itself.
The character I'd like to play: Abigail (23, mousy brown hair, pinched features, not tall, thinnish, not pretty or plain). Abigail is probably the least sympathetic character in the whole play, despite having the most problems. She married Benjamin without knowing much about Daniel, and believes very firmly that she can change him by force. The most fascinating thing about Abigail as a character is how thoroughly vulnerable she is. She does not have Cordelia's cold cynicism, and that lack is her undoing.
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Posted by Lightinthepiazza on 2008-02-08 17:43:55 | Rating: | Views: 33
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