The Teahouse of the August Moon

by John Patrick

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the Tony Award and the Critics' Circle Award, this is one of the most successful plays of the modern theater.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Fiction, Theatre

94 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John Patrick Goggin was an American playwright and screenwriter.
Abandoned by his parents, he had a delinquent youth that he spend in foster homes and boarding schools. He married at 19 and got a job as an announcer at KPO Radio in San Francisco, California. After being a scriptwriter for the radio program Cecil and Sally he began writing screenplays, and later he turned to writing screenplays.
On November 7, 1995 he committed suicide.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading The Teahouse of the August Moon (both book and play) and watching the film adaptation, I’m undecided as to whether the story is brilliant satire or badly aged racism with a sprinkle of sexism. Let’s say somewhere in between.

In post-war Japan, an American GI is assigned to a small village and told to Americanize the place. Things begin to go south not long after he arrives and is presented with two geishas (one in the play and movie), whom he thinks are hookers. This is the first in a long ling of subtle but entertaining cultural misunderstandings. The natives, unwilling to go by the military’s recommended playbook, set off to build their own version of democracy, which centers on a teahouse for the geishas.

Really, The Teahouse of the August Moon feels a bit more like something related to the Vietnam War, given its sharp commentaries on military fallacy and incompetence. The story is funny and light on its feet, even if a bit uncomfortable at points for a modern reader.

Of the three versions, I found the novel the most insightful and nuanced. The play and movie were both adapted by the same writer (John Patrick), and the play even won a Pulitzer. Given the drastic changes he made between the novel and play (some necessary, given the different demands of the page and stage; others seemed more design to ensure his fingerprint was on the adaptation), it was surprising that he was so tied to remaining faithful to the play when moving it to the screen. Although the movie does also include Marlon Brandon playing a Japanese man, so let’s say the script and its minor problems aren’t anywhere close to the major shortcoming of the movie.

For me, the novel also had the strongest ending (The closing is tweaked in the play and movie, to the story’s detriment). The novel’s end is pitch perfect, doubly so given how many satires have trouble sticking the landing.

I’m glad I read The Teahouse of the August Moon – and that I took the time to read both play and book and watch the movie. It was fun to compare and see how the message twisted between the three formats. Despite showing its age in places (and boy does it), the story will likely resonate with and amuse modern readers. Recommended.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book several years ago and liked it, but I was not writing reviews at the time. I saw the movie on TCM twice in the last year. A book usually covers more material than a movie on the same subject, and we readers love to say, 'The book was better than the movie.' The opposite is true here because of Marlon Brando.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite play. No great parts for women. I played a Japanese lady with the second most lines…5. 😂 My name? Daughter. 🤪

[Jasminka · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Čajdžinica na avgustovskoj mesečini” je klasična predstava koju je napisao Džon Patrik. Adaptirana je po romanu Verna Snajdera. Bila je osnova za veoma popularni brodvejski mjuzikl, a kasnije i film iz 1956 godine sa Marlonom Brandom. Dobitnik je Pulicerove nagrade za dramu 1954 godine.
Radnja je smeštena na Okinavi, u Japanu, ubrzo posle Drugog svetskog rata, i vrti se oko kulturnog sukoba između američkih vojnih okupatora i lokalnih japanskih seljaka. Drama se bavi sukobljavanjem kulturnih razlika i izazova asimilacije. Glavni lik koji služi kao most između dva sveta, pružajući komično olakšanje, a istovremeno bacajući svetlo na složenost kulturne razmene je Sakini, duhoviti i mudri tumač. Drugi važni lik je kapetan Fisbi, koji ima zadatak da implementira američku “demokratiju” u zabačenom japanskom selu, doživljava značajan razvoj, predstavljajući borbu između krute birokratije i prilagodljivosti lokalnih običaja.
Stil Džona Patrika vešto balansira humor i dramu, a satira je suptilna, ali efikasna, ismeva i američke i japanske stereotipe, a nije preterano kritična. Dijalozi su izrazito duhoviti, a likovi dobro razrađeni. Kratko štivo koje zaslužuje nagradu.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gem was reccommended to me by one of my favorite clients, just before I moved to Okinawa in December 1999. She had been stationed there in the 80's, and considered it their best assignment. She reccommended the book to me, as a lesson about the people, history and way of life on the island.
The story takes place immediately following the war. It is at first a clash of cultures. The "ugly" Americans roll in ready to civilize the Okinawans. But it is the Americans who (eventually) learn a new way of life from the Okinawans. It is sweet, charming and educational. The story was still as relevant in 1999 as is it was in 1945. The very first bit of advice I was given when I arrived on island was to "learn patience", because the Okinawans are not in a hurry to do anything, or go anywhere.
Interestingly, the Okinawans have the longest life-expectancy in the world. We can learn a lot from them, just as the Americans did in this story.

[Brittany Petruzzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Teahouse of the August Moon started out delightfully, continued to delight, and then nearly caused me to throw it across the room by ending poorly until it took another delightful turn and had me smiling with glee. As he pokes fun at American attempts to spread "democracy" in World War II Okinawa, John Patrick draws full characters that are as comical as they are realistic, and each of them different down to the words they use to express themselves.

I'm a firm believer that an excellent comedy can teach us more capably than a tragedy. Comedy drowns didacticism in laughter. Somehow--mysteriously, even--laughter opens us up to the action played out on stage, or perhaps it opens the action itself. Whatever the means, August Moon successfully compels its audience both to revel in the folly of democratization and renew a love for the ideals behind it, however badly some may try to achieve it.

[Carolyn Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it a lot. Now hear me out! It's definitely fallen out of favor in recent years, and I can see why it's not **specifically** relevant anymore, but I enjoyed it and can see why it was so popular. While it's easy pickings for someone to point and shriek "racist!" I found it no more offensive than an episode of M*A*S*H* or the book "The Ugly American", published in the same era of American occupation. In the latter, it's especially easy to see the parallels of the blustering officer determined to impose impractical American standards on a foreign culture, and the happiness, cooperation and peace that comes when a mind is opened.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, a classic. Written in 1955. The only problem is I kept seeing Glen Ford in the movie when I read the book.

[R.K. Cowles · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 3/4 stars

[Anna Muthalaly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sigh. This is a fine play, I’m sure the satire of the us army was groundbreaking at the time, the overall message of accepting natives and not forcing them to assimilate is fine, but lord is this pointless in the modern era. Gross stereotypes about the “geisha” within all Eastern women, gross that this play is historically done with like an almost all white cast, the point of reading this would be to learn what counted as “progressive” in 1950.

It’s funny sometimes, I guess? Great joke about how you can’t quarantine congressmen because they have immunity


This is the 31st play I read in my quest to conquer the Pulitzer Prize for drama

[Yeshi Dolma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. It is so subtly funny! it re-ignited my love to read more plays. Set in Okinawa, right after the war, american army comes to "establish democracy" in Japan. A really delightful funny satire!
"Pain makes man think. Thought makes man wise. Wisdom makes life endurable."

Shelves: 1950s, 5-stars, asian-literature, bipoc-authors, character-rich-ecosystem, explores-colonialism, humour, japanese-literature, owned, play, read, set-in-japan, Pulitzer-Prize

[Brian McCann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite it being dated, antiquated, and not culturally appropriate by today’s standards, it’s a well-crafted play that is easy to read.

Its perspective is difficult to stomach today, but is a valid example of what used to be acceptable mainstream fare.

[Mai · Rating 4 out of 5]

A MASTERPIECE
I really love it. I was really sceptical about it but it really surprised me. It's gave me so much fun. It was funny and has a lot of wisdom every now and then. The characters were really good and funny. I just like it.
I haven't been this excited about a book in a long time. Now I know why it got the Pulitzer prize.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Farce about the US occupation of Japan and cultural clashes in rebuilding the island.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another of J Patrick's best plays!