THE AYCKBOURN PLAYS—CAN EACH PLAY STAND ALONE? I described here the Alan Ayckbourn cycle of sixteen plays called INTIMATE EXCHANGES. The extraordinary challenge of sixteen plays raises the question whether an individual play would be worth seeing on its own. Annalisa and Nick each saw only one of the plays and each was enthusiastic about that play. Nick saw LOVE IN THE MIST and Annalisa saw A GAME OF GOLF. Each commented on how sad the play they saw was, and how funny.
Categories
Archives
Recent Comments
- “A COMFORT BLANKET FOR THE SMUG”? (1)
- Nick: Further informing my perspective was that in the writings of classical Romans the middle-aged authors opined...
- ARE PEOPLE LESS VIOLENT? (COMMENT). (2)
- Dick Weisfelder: My prior comment was just in the context of sports. Whether or not from Pinker, I have seen the...
- erik: It seems doubtful that human nature has changed. The most likely explanation would be that modern culture gives...
- HOW BANKS PREPARED FOR A U.S. DEFAULT. (2)
- GREECE’S ADVANTAGE IN THE CHICKEN GAME. (2)
- Nick: That makes sense. It reminds me of the stories Pater Familias would tell me about how in Boston the person with...
- Dick Weisfelder: Greece seems to me to be playing a game that Karl Deutsch called “underdog.” While one...
- FOOTBALL PLAYERS DELIBERATELY CAUSING CONCUSSIONS? (3)
- Nick: It was my understanding that boxing gloves were to protect the puncher’s hands and not the...
- Dick Weisfelder: Remember the Roman arenas? Bare knuckled boxing? Such injuries were taken as natural and accepted in...
- Mary Jane Schaefer: This isn’t about football. Or even sportsmanship. Well, it is about sportsmanship. But what...
- A 25 % CHANCE OF A EURO DEFAULT? (1)
- Nick: The fact that this has gone on for so long is pretty perplexing. The Economist is referring back to articles it...
- DECIDING WHAT KIND OF PATIENT YOU ARE. (1)
- Dick Weisfelder: One can be very open to new technology, but also risk averse. The recent debates about how to...
- “A COMFORT BLANKET FOR THE SMUG”? (1)
Meta
I can definitely answer “yes” that each play stands alone. In fact, even though the plays were designed to complement one another, I don’t know how many I could’ve watched because they were so sad. I never realized how important a happy ending was to me until just a year or so ago. After the play was over I found myself wanting to see more with the characters I had come to know, but I also felt bruised by the sadness of the play.