Greatest Play

#1

Greatest Play

Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:28pm

For my AP Dramatic Lit class, I need to read a play of my choice over the Thanksgiving Weekend, and I wanted to ask you:

What play should I read? It should be very famous (so I can get it quickly), and not too long (because I only have a week to read it!)

It can be comedy, or serious, from any time period, but it must be considered a classic, because the goal of the assignment is to be able to possibly allude to this play on the AP exam. Thanks!

#2

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:34pm

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE by Tennessee Williams. On the surface it's the story of a woman's breakdown. On another level, it uses color symbolism to enchance the tale. (There are really two Blance's: the "red" Blanche and the "blue" Blanche. When these two colors meet at the play's denouement [the Della Robbia Blue, which is somewhat lilac] she breaks down and is escorted to an asylum.)

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"Long live God!" (GODSPELL)

#3

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/22/04 at 7:40pm

Glass Menagerie is a good choice too. I am sure you had to read it in an english class at one point. I agree with Dolly, Streetcar is a great play.

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I want to write music. I want to sit down right now at my piano and write a song that people will listen to and remember and do the same thing every morning...for the rest of my life. - Jonathan Larson. Tick, Tick...BOOM!

#4

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/22/04 at 8:05pm

definitely Streetcar..I recently read THe Glass Menagerie for the first time. It's also great, but Streetcar is better

#5

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/22/04 at 8:06pm

the graduate

#6

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/22/04 at 8:11pm

I vote for The Crucible by Arthur Miller. God knows it has some serious resonance in todays atmosphere.

#7

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/22/04 at 8:16pm

I dont think its the greatest, but The Devil and Daniel Webster is short and sweet. It's pleasantly weird too.

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Everybody's got the right to their dreams...

#8

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/22/04 at 8:28pm

Here are a couple more:

The Zoo Story by Edward Albee
-- considered by many the greatest one act play ever written (or at least written by an American), deals with class conflict and loneliness and the dangers of inaction and the nature of violence. A masterpiece (and very short).

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
-- one of the greatest comedies ever written, in addition to being hilariously funny even today, it is also a sharp and potent satire of the British class system.

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"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie [http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/] "The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney

Updated On: 11/22/04 at 08:28 PM

#9

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/22/04 at 8:34pm

The Normal Heart- Larry Kramer

#10

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/22/04 at 8:35pm

Honestly I don't think you need to look past "Death of a Salesman". This is probably the best American play ever written, and it's very easy to get through. It deals with basic American themes and is dramatically gripping and tragic. "Streetcar Named Desire" is one of those plays too, but I think "Salesman" holds more general resonance, especially among students.

#11

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/22/04 at 9:03pm

Hands down, A DOLL'S HOUSE by Ibsen. There's so much there...
Or, I second THE CRUCIBLE.

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"If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy." -Charlie Manson

#12

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/22/04 at 9:48pm

Um . . . he said "and not too long"

I'd go with "Zoo Story"

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"Smart! And into all those exotic mystiques -- The Kama Sutra and Chinese techniques. I hear she knows more than seventy-five. Call me tomorrow if you're still alive!"

#13

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/22/04 at 9:52pm

I kind of disregarded the "not too long" comment, because all well known plays are generally the same length and can be read very quickly. I love THE ZOO STORY and performed a monologue from it for my acting class, but I think it's far less interesting than others, and if he's looking for something very famous so it's easy to find at a local bookstore or library, it's not all that probable that they will carry it.

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"If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy." -Charlie Manson

#14

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/22/04 at 10:04pm

"Hell is Other People"

Of course there is always "No Exit" by Jean-Paul Sartre

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"Smart! And into all those exotic mystiques -- The Kama Sutra and Chinese techniques. I hear she knows more than seventy-five. Call me tomorrow if you're still alive!"

#15

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/22/04 at 10:05pm

I thought about "No Exit" but I thought it might be a bit much for a Thanksgiving weekend.

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"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie [http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/] "The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney

#16

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/22/04 at 10:17pm

I think you would be safe with almost any Arthur Miller play. I know you said you dont want something too long, but Angels in America is a must read.

#17

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/22/04 at 11:13pm

"A Streetcar Named Desire" - very commonly read, and for good reason.

I completely agree with MargoChanning re: "The Importance of Being Earnest"

I read, and used heavily "A Man for All Seasons" (can't remember who wrote it for the life of me at this moment) and "Fences" (August Wilson) for my AP exam many years ago. "Fences" has amazing symbolism (especially in terms of social context, as part of the Wilson decadology) and is a comparatively easy read.

I also personally love "Angels in America" as well...

#18

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/23/04 at 12:05am

personally, i think glass is much better than streetcar... williams would be a good bet for the ap... but what about my favorite? SHAKESPEARE! you said classic... and there certainly is no one better... my favorite is othello though it is generally agreed that king lear is the "best"... i was also thinking of a doll's life by ibsen... if you want a great play you can't read a one act... it just doesn't have a chance to be great...

#19

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/23/04 at 12:07am

My favorite plays are (in order)

OUR TOWN
THE CRUCIBLE
GLASS MENAGEIRE
SIDE MAN
BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE

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"Noah, someday we'll talk again. But there's things we'll never say. That sorrow deep inside you. It inside me, too. And it never go away. You be okay. You'll learn how to lose things..."

#20

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/23/04 at 12:09am

Tons of great choices here. I'm partial to all Williams, but The Glass Menagerie--being autobiographically based *and* a total of 8 scenes long--might be a less lofty goal thematically and length-wise than Streetcar. But they're both divine.

#21

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/23/04 at 1:30am

Our Town is easy to do, and an easy read if you can get passed the Stage Manager's lines. Another one of WIlder's plays is The Matchmaker...it's good.

Everything else is good....Earnest was hard for me to read though, but Algy's a great part :)

#22

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/23/04 at 1:34am

I wouldn't say OUR TOWN is easy to do at all. It's as easy to put that on as any other show, but to get it down and make it WORK, you need a cast of exceptionally talented actors who understand it and all the themes throughout it. It's VERY tough to do a good quality production of that show.

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"Noah, someday we'll talk again. But there's things we'll never say. That sorrow deep inside you. It inside me, too. And it never go away. You be okay. You'll learn how to lose things..."

#23

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/23/04 at 1:36am

Probably not the "greatest play" but one of my favorite plays is Saint Lucy's Eyes by Bridgette A. Wimberly.

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"What a mystery this world. One day you love them and the next day you want to kill them a thousand times over." The Masked Bandit in THE FALL

#24

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/23/04 at 1:55am

But for what he's doing, it'll be easy. It's long though...Three acts.

#25

re: Greatest Play

Posted: 11/23/04 at 2:03am

I'm intrigued that I don't see any O'Neil on this thread.

As to the Shakespeare, of course he is the ultimate classic, but I'd hardly consider ANY of them an 'easy' read - and I'm not sure everyone would consider Lear his greatest work - not with Hamlet floating around.