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The Clean House and Other Plays
This volume is the first publication of Sarah Ruhl, “a playwright with a unique comic voice, perspective, and sense of theater” (Variety), who is fast leaving her mark on the American stage. In the award-winning Clean House—a play of uncommon romance and uncommon comedy—a maid who hates cleaning dreams about creating the perfect joke, while a doctor who treats cancer leaves his heart inside one of his patients. This volume also includes Eurydice, Ruhl’s reinvention of the tragic Greek tale of love and loss, together with a third play still to be named.
Sarah Ruhl received the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn Prize in 2004 for her play The Clean House, which has been produced at Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, Wilma Theatre in Philadelphia, South Coast Repertory Theatre in Costa Mesa, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, DC. Her play Eurydice has been produced at Madison Repertory Theatre and Berkeley Repertory Theatre.
Sarah Ruhl received the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn Prize in 2004 for her play The Clean House, which has been produced at Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, Wilma Theatre in Philadelphia, South Coast Repertory Theatre in Costa Mesa, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, DC. Her play Eurydice has been produced at Madison Repertory Theatre and Berkeley Repertory Theatre.
436 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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2483 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Ruhl
42 books582 followersSarah Ruhl (born 1974) is an American playwright. She is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award for a distinguished American playwright in mid-career.
Originally, she intended to be a poet. However, after she studied under Paula Vogel at Brown University (A.B., 1997; M.F.A., 2001), she was persuaded to switch to playwriting. Her first play was The Dog Play, written in 1995 for one of Vogel's classes. Her roots in poetry can be seen in the way she uses language in her plays. She also did graduate work at Pembroke College, Oxford.
In September 2006, she received a MacArthur Fellowship. The announcement of that award stated: "Sarah Ruhl, 32, playwright, New York City. Playwright creating vivid and adventurous theatrical works that poignantly juxtapose the mundane aspects of daily life with mythic themes of love and war."
Originally, she intended to be a poet. However, after she studied under Paula Vogel at Brown University (A.B., 1997; M.F.A., 2001), she was persuaded to switch to playwriting. Her first play was The Dog Play, written in 1995 for one of Vogel's classes. Her roots in poetry can be seen in the way she uses language in her plays. She also did graduate work at Pembroke College, Oxford.
In September 2006, she received a MacArthur Fellowship. The announcement of that award stated: "Sarah Ruhl, 32, playwright, New York City. Playwright creating vivid and adventurous theatrical works that poignantly juxtapose the mundane aspects of daily life with mythic themes of love and war."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
November 13, 2017
خیلی خوب بود و کامل نکته سنج با دردهای عادی آدمی برخورد کرده بود نگاه تلخش به مقوله جوک و خنده رو خیلی دوست داشتم.
May 26, 2015
I picked this up from the library to read Eurydice and loved it so much I read the rest. I would LOVE to see Eurydice and Clean House performed.
June 16, 2012
Sarah Ruhl is beloved by many of my theater artist friends and one can't deny her decorated credentials (e.g. Genius Grant, multiple Pulitzer Finalist, most produced playwright in America 2012) but, this collection infuriated me. I found every play to be "twee". The Urban Dictionary defines "Twee" as, "The opposite of simple, authentic and true: desperately exquisite, contrived to the point of ridiculousness, trying to so hard to be ornately exceptional that you (inadvertently) end up looking like a clown." I don't understand how she is considered an exceptional writer based on this work. It is rife with cardboard characterizations that operate as bloodless puppets twitching to Ruhl's idiosyncrisies. That these fantasies are elliptical collections of ad hoc oddities, which seem to delight in their internal discontinuities while also failing to convey understandable analogy, is infuriating. She fails to communicate anything other than her fragile sense of self and because of that I don't see the imagery she weaves as more than an eccentric solipsistic exercise. Very disappointing.
November 29, 2024
actually incredible writing even if at times the characters are not the most lovable and the writing and stages are clever and poetic and I would rank the plays in reverse chronological order. I especially love eurydice which I didnt expect because I thought itd be predictable. But the other three plays are weird and great too, if u have access to library.rice.edu u can read it for freee, I sound like a walking ad
November 24, 2025
Sarah Ruhl knows exactly how to capture beauty in simplicity. Perhaps my favorite playwright to date.
April 15, 2020
i write you letters... i don’t know how to get them to you :(
July 19, 2024
“When I met Ana, I knew: I loved her to the point of invention.”
I saw this quote on Instagram which led me to these plays. If I was to judge all of Sarah Ruhl on just “the clean house” I would’ve given this 5 stars. It’s funny, heartwarming, and has some of my favorite lines in a play that I’ve read. That being said, I don’t read a lot of plays. Still, it’s absurdist and funny which are two things I always like.
The other two plays I found much more disappointing (especially since the anthology starts with the best one). “Late” I don’t think I understood at all? I like cowboys (a lot), but I didn’t understand the relationships or the more unspoken dynamics between them. “Melancholy Play” I started out quite disliking (I was also getting confused between Frank and Frances so that was my fault), but by the end I enjoyed it. It reminds me of if Vonnegut wrote metamorphosis. “Eurydice” was probably the play I enjoyed the second most in the whole thing - it reminded me of Greek epics which I imagine was the intention.
Quotes I liked:
The clean house:
“Young enough that my skin is still good. Old enough that I am starting to think: is my skin still good?”
“My husband is like a well-placed couch. He takes up the right amount of space. A man should not be too beautiful. Or too good in bed. A man should be—functional. And well chosen. Otherwise you’re in trouble.”
“There once was a very great American surgeon named Halsted. He was married to a nurse. He loved her—immeasurably. One day Halsted noticed that his wife’s hands were chapped and red when she came back from surgery. And so he invented rubber gloves. For her. It is one of the great love stories in medicine. The difference between inspired medicine and uninspired medicine is love.
When I met Ana, I knew: I loved her to the point of invention.”
Melancholy play:
“Have you ever been so melancholy, that you wanted to fit in the palm of your beloved’s hand? Have you ever been so melancholy, that you wanted to fit in the palm of your beloved’s hand? And lie there, for fortnights, or decades, or the length of time in between stars? And lie there, for fortnights, or decades, or the length of time in between stars? In complete silence? In complete silence?”
“you are experiencing any form of melancholy: stay in your home. I repeat: STAY IN YOUR HOME. Occupy your mind. Occupy your hands. Do not look out the window in the afternoon dreaming of the past or far-off things or absent people or dead people or the sea. People experiencing melancholy have been turning into almonds on the street.”
“Julian—can you play something happy?
JULIAN: I think so.It’s difficult on the cello”
“Continue to give yourself to others because that’s the ultimate satisfaction in life—to love, accept, honor and help others.”
I saw this quote on Instagram which led me to these plays. If I was to judge all of Sarah Ruhl on just “the clean house” I would’ve given this 5 stars. It’s funny, heartwarming, and has some of my favorite lines in a play that I’ve read. That being said, I don’t read a lot of plays. Still, it’s absurdist and funny which are two things I always like.
The other two plays I found much more disappointing (especially since the anthology starts with the best one). “Late” I don’t think I understood at all? I like cowboys (a lot), but I didn’t understand the relationships or the more unspoken dynamics between them. “Melancholy Play” I started out quite disliking (I was also getting confused between Frank and Frances so that was my fault), but by the end I enjoyed it. It reminds me of if Vonnegut wrote metamorphosis. “Eurydice” was probably the play I enjoyed the second most in the whole thing - it reminded me of Greek epics which I imagine was the intention.
Quotes I liked:
The clean house:
“Young enough that my skin is still good. Old enough that I am starting to think: is my skin still good?”
“My husband is like a well-placed couch. He takes up the right amount of space. A man should not be too beautiful. Or too good in bed. A man should be—functional. And well chosen. Otherwise you’re in trouble.”
“There once was a very great American surgeon named Halsted. He was married to a nurse. He loved her—immeasurably. One day Halsted noticed that his wife’s hands were chapped and red when she came back from surgery. And so he invented rubber gloves. For her. It is one of the great love stories in medicine. The difference between inspired medicine and uninspired medicine is love.
When I met Ana, I knew: I loved her to the point of invention.”
Melancholy play:
“Have you ever been so melancholy, that you wanted to fit in the palm of your beloved’s hand? Have you ever been so melancholy, that you wanted to fit in the palm of your beloved’s hand? And lie there, for fortnights, or decades, or the length of time in between stars? And lie there, for fortnights, or decades, or the length of time in between stars? In complete silence? In complete silence?”
“you are experiencing any form of melancholy: stay in your home. I repeat: STAY IN YOUR HOME. Occupy your mind. Occupy your hands. Do not look out the window in the afternoon dreaming of the past or far-off things or absent people or dead people or the sea. People experiencing melancholy have been turning into almonds on the street.”
“Julian—can you play something happy?
JULIAN: I think so.It’s difficult on the cello”
“Continue to give yourself to others because that’s the ultimate satisfaction in life—to love, accept, honor and help others.”
April 28, 2020
This book contains four plays by the talented Sarah Ruhl.
Clean House is the first and my favorite. It is about a husband who is a doctor and falls in love with his patient. My favorite character is Lane. She is the wife and also a doctor. She shows anger at her husband when he falls in love with another woman but then shows compassion when she nurses the woman at the end. Matilda is the cleaning woman who hates to clean and is trying to come up with the perfect joke. Virginia is Lane's sister who loves to clean as it makes her feel complete.
Late: A Cowboy's Song: is my least favorite mainly because I did not like the main character, Mary. She is married to Crick but falls in love with Red, a woman. Mary is learning to ride a horse through Red. It is a difficult play to describe but it is a good play. The characters just seem incomplete but at the same time I could not put it down so it was definitely compelling.
Melancholy is the next selection. This is a great play about a woman who is sad and it is her sadness that attracts others. When she finally finds happiness she is less attractive to the other characters.
The last play is Eurydice it is a modern telling of the classic with extra thrown in. I always hated this story because Orpheus is just so stupid. He has one task don't look at his wife until they get out of the underworld and he can't accomplish this.
All in all, I loved each of the plays for different reasons and can't wait to read more by this writer.
Clean House is the first and my favorite. It is about a husband who is a doctor and falls in love with his patient. My favorite character is Lane. She is the wife and also a doctor. She shows anger at her husband when he falls in love with another woman but then shows compassion when she nurses the woman at the end. Matilda is the cleaning woman who hates to clean and is trying to come up with the perfect joke. Virginia is Lane's sister who loves to clean as it makes her feel complete.
Late: A Cowboy's Song: is my least favorite mainly because I did not like the main character, Mary. She is married to Crick but falls in love with Red, a woman. Mary is learning to ride a horse through Red. It is a difficult play to describe but it is a good play. The characters just seem incomplete but at the same time I could not put it down so it was definitely compelling.
Melancholy is the next selection. This is a great play about a woman who is sad and it is her sadness that attracts others. When she finally finds happiness she is less attractive to the other characters.
The last play is Eurydice it is a modern telling of the classic with extra thrown in. I always hated this story because Orpheus is just so stupid. He has one task don't look at his wife until they get out of the underworld and he can't accomplish this.
All in all, I loved each of the plays for different reasons and can't wait to read more by this writer.
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November 12, 2008I'm not going to give this book any stars because I actually just read The Clean House and saw Eurydice. The other two plays, Late, a cowboy song and Melancholy Play, I did not read. Goodreads needs to start including single volume plays on here.
Anyway, I thought The Clean House was ok. I always have to get accustomed to the "magic" in her plays. What seems semi-normal or realistic, usually won't be by the end of the play, and I just have to remember that. I think I would be annoyed that I couldn't hear the jokes in English, not to mention, Matilde doesn't seem funny AT ALL. Of course much depends on the actress, and her notes say all the actors must be able to tell a good joke, but I don't even think Ruhl has written much for the actress to work with.
Anyway, I thought The Clean House was ok. I always have to get accustomed to the "magic" in her plays. What seems semi-normal or realistic, usually won't be by the end of the play, and I just have to remember that. I think I would be annoyed that I couldn't hear the jokes in English, not to mention, Matilde doesn't seem funny AT ALL. Of course much depends on the actress, and her notes say all the actors must be able to tell a good joke, but I don't even think Ruhl has written much for the actress to work with.
June 3, 2013
This book is gorgeous. I have only seen one of the plays (which was incredibly well done) and would like to see the rest, but it's just as good of an experience to read all of the plays side by side. Ruhl's whimsical tone and repeated themes of the cyclical nature of families and the innocence and purity of love make for a somehow simultaneously draining and uplifting reading experience.
The Melancholy Play seemed a little bit out of place in this collection. I still really enjoyed it, but thought that it might have been more effective either on its own or maybe with other plays Ruhl wrote?
Regardless, I cannot get enough of her.
The Melancholy Play seemed a little bit out of place in this collection. I still really enjoyed it, but thought that it might have been more effective either on its own or maybe with other plays Ruhl wrote?
Regardless, I cannot get enough of her.
December 16, 2018
Stage directions, a string house, a real or abstract horse, thousands of apples
The almond play was weird
The almond play was weird
January 7, 2019
This collection goes all over the place. I think it's safe to say that Sarah Ruhl's thing is comedy-- my previous encounters with her work, the terrific historical play "In the Next Room," and her stirring, heartfelt essay collection, worked in this genre, as well-- but within that thing she has, like, a billion other little things. "The Clean House" is romantic satire. "Late: a Cowboy Song" is like a fun version of "A Doll's House" with yodeling. "Melancholy Play" is full on Ionesco-style absurdity. And "Eurydice" is full-on Shakespearean pastoral, complete with awesome stage directions and props.
The style varies, and the quality varies too, I think. "The Clean House" is celebrated with good reason, but I couldn't help but compare it to the similarly styled "In the Next Room," against which Ruhl's earlier play seems sort of... Early? That's what most of this collection feels like, actually: sketches for bolder, better, more Ruhlian work. "Late" has some great dialogue and some truly intriguing sequences (the "Holidays" portion is Ruhl in her element: she can whittle a scene down into three lines of dialogue and explain a whole story, character, worldview, etc), but it's missing something, yes? Even the character that's meant to be most alive, the cowboy Red, doesn't quite spring to life. (Though that might have something to do with me reading pages versus actually seeing the thing in person. I admit it!) I'll be civil toward "Melancholy Play" and simply say I thought it was baffling... That I had to read "Eurydice" immediately afterward if only to cleanse my brain. "Eurydice" is something truly special, though. All of these plays take risks, and all of them clearly emerged from a clever, sympathetic mind, but only "Eurydice" really got me (perhaps because I just got married?). Its portrait of love and death is drawn from Greek myth but given a spin that's fresh and contemporary without being glib. It's a play set mostly in the Underworld that still feels light... in the best way... Which is probably the Sarah Ruhl trademark. Lightness that invigorates! And makes you laugh!
She's a gifted playwright. These early plays are worth your time. Some of them more than others.
The style varies, and the quality varies too, I think. "The Clean House" is celebrated with good reason, but I couldn't help but compare it to the similarly styled "In the Next Room," against which Ruhl's earlier play seems sort of... Early? That's what most of this collection feels like, actually: sketches for bolder, better, more Ruhlian work. "Late" has some great dialogue and some truly intriguing sequences (the "Holidays" portion is Ruhl in her element: she can whittle a scene down into three lines of dialogue and explain a whole story, character, worldview, etc), but it's missing something, yes? Even the character that's meant to be most alive, the cowboy Red, doesn't quite spring to life. (Though that might have something to do with me reading pages versus actually seeing the thing in person. I admit it!) I'll be civil toward "Melancholy Play" and simply say I thought it was baffling... That I had to read "Eurydice" immediately afterward if only to cleanse my brain. "Eurydice" is something truly special, though. All of these plays take risks, and all of them clearly emerged from a clever, sympathetic mind, but only "Eurydice" really got me (perhaps because I just got married?). Its portrait of love and death is drawn from Greek myth but given a spin that's fresh and contemporary without being glib. It's a play set mostly in the Underworld that still feels light... in the best way... Which is probably the Sarah Ruhl trademark. Lightness that invigorates! And makes you laugh!
She's a gifted playwright. These early plays are worth your time. Some of them more than others.
November 17, 2024
everyone's always like "omg sarah ruhl master modern playwright" (ok not everyone everyone. play ppl, mostly) & they're right! this was a refreshing delight.
ruhl's voice is so contemporary and earnest. everyone (once again, mostly play ppl) is like "oh you can't read a play & get the experience; you need to see it staged" but i do really like to read a screenplay; i think it's a medium that really demonstrates how a writer operates & sees their craft, because it's a medium for the sake of translation into a non-literary form. i see so much intentionality in ruhl's choices here: from preliminary staging/casting/etc. notes that signify her awareness of the eventual stage, to the way the stage directions are formulated, to the overlapping dialogue. (it's kinda giving anne carson's plays to me omg.)
i find clean house and eurydice to be the strongest plays (opener and closer! let's go) (though i do also like late: a cowboy song and melancholy play; i just don't find them As good). these are all emotional plays, plays about love (romantic & familial & all sorts of fucked up & unexpected). adultery & taking care of the other woman & your ambiguously abusive husband accuses you of being a lesbian & your long-lost twin sister becomes an almond & your father waits for you in the afterlife — oh my! i find it all very beautiful, but sometimes over-the-top in its dewey-eyed weepiness (see: melancholy play). but i dunno. i fear that, just in my personal life, i am once again heart closed to the possibility of love & that's really impacting my worldview rn & ability to create / appreciate creations? but not much to do about that other than continue to try!
ruhl's voice is so contemporary and earnest. everyone (once again, mostly play ppl) is like "oh you can't read a play & get the experience; you need to see it staged" but i do really like to read a screenplay; i think it's a medium that really demonstrates how a writer operates & sees their craft, because it's a medium for the sake of translation into a non-literary form. i see so much intentionality in ruhl's choices here: from preliminary staging/casting/etc. notes that signify her awareness of the eventual stage, to the way the stage directions are formulated, to the overlapping dialogue. (it's kinda giving anne carson's plays to me omg.)
i find clean house and eurydice to be the strongest plays (opener and closer! let's go) (though i do also like late: a cowboy song and melancholy play; i just don't find them As good). these are all emotional plays, plays about love (romantic & familial & all sorts of fucked up & unexpected). adultery & taking care of the other woman & your ambiguously abusive husband accuses you of being a lesbian & your long-lost twin sister becomes an almond & your father waits for you in the afterlife — oh my! i find it all very beautiful, but sometimes over-the-top in its dewey-eyed weepiness (see: melancholy play). but i dunno. i fear that, just in my personal life, i am once again heart closed to the possibility of love & that's really impacting my worldview rn & ability to create / appreciate creations? but not much to do about that other than continue to try!
July 4, 2019
I first read Sarah Ruhl as a sophomore in college when I was introduced to Eurydice in my Readings in Theatre course. I instantly fell in love with the adaptation. I was mesmerized by how Ruhl crafted her take on Hades and how it resembled more of the world of Allice in Wonderland. I loved the raining elevator, the stones, the wedding party. All of it was so vivid in my head as I read it, the images I came up with were epic. I think the thing that put this play over the edge as one of my favorites of all time was the relationship between Eurydice and her father. The heartbreak I felt for them was indescribable as I came to the last pages of the piece.
I can't believe it took me four years to delve into another one of Ruhl's plays. I'm just happy it was a collection. I believe I could read her full bibliography, with no other authors in between, and not get tired. I liked The Clean House very much but the standout for me was Late: A Cowboy Song. There's something about Sarah Ruhl's drama that I can't quite pinpoint. It's beautiful, it's bittersweet, the characters feel light and airy while succeeding in telling a soul-crushing and extremely deep story. I guess what I'm trying to say is that all of these plays feel a little dreamlike. She creates dreams that teach us so much about life, love, and loss. And finishing this selection of plays with Eurydice (the most dreamlike play of all of them) reminded me why I fell for her writing in the first place.
I can't believe it took me four years to delve into another one of Ruhl's plays. I'm just happy it was a collection. I believe I could read her full bibliography, with no other authors in between, and not get tired. I liked The Clean House very much but the standout for me was Late: A Cowboy Song. There's something about Sarah Ruhl's drama that I can't quite pinpoint. It's beautiful, it's bittersweet, the characters feel light and airy while succeeding in telling a soul-crushing and extremely deep story. I guess what I'm trying to say is that all of these plays feel a little dreamlike. She creates dreams that teach us so much about life, love, and loss. And finishing this selection of plays with Eurydice (the most dreamlike play of all of them) reminded me why I fell for her writing in the first place.
July 12, 2025
What would happen if you wrote a play, and that play was a finalist for the Pulitzer, and that play got dozens and dozens of productions including at Lincoln Center--and then that play went "poof". Like, not even there. Like, never was there. Just commenting on "The Clean House", and it is a sort of perfection (confection?) of its type--exceedingly polished, edited, massaged into a lovely professional New York sheen, like a shiny wrapper. And you open it, and it's an..... after-dinner mint. Without substance whatsoever, just a tingle on your tongue and it's gone from memory. The comedic writing is very good, but it turns serious subjects into jokes. I cannot like it. I cannot square it with Ruhl's book of essays on the theater which advocated for so much more scope on the stage, even sword fighting. But "Clean House" is silly (lover goes to Alaska to chop down a tree while his lover is dying) and banal. And look -- "poof"--it's already out of my head. No trace.
April 17, 2018
Why has it taken me so long to read such a beautiful collection of plays? I’ve loved Sarah Ruhl’s writing from the moment I first heard someone do a Eurydice monologue for an acting workshop. She wrote in her book of essays that she’s a poet who retired into playwriting and I think that’s a perfect way to describe it. I hope to see one of these plays visualized soon, the unworldly nature of her stage directions makes for an impressive production in my head. If you like magical realism and lower case queer plays about upper case Queer characters, give this collection a read, I promise it will be worth it.
October 25, 2021
These plays are full of characters with interesting idiosyncrasies, but none of it feels particularly real. I don't normally place a premium necessarily on realism, but in the category of drama, I probably do. Who cares about intimate personal dramas that feel false? Ruhl does have a sense of humour, but could definitely learn something from the likes of Annie Baker and Karen Zacarias, who both tackle small, intimate--even potentially boring--dramatic situations with an ear for detail that captures all the comedy and poetry of how people really speak. Qwerky dialogue on its own is not enough.
December 19, 2017
Rather than being hit or miss for me, I generally have mixed emotions when reading any Sarah Ruhl play. She uses absurdism in a poetic way, which is hard to wrap my head around. My favorite play from this collection is Eurydice, which has a beautiful focus on language and relationships. Too often I find Sarah Ruhl's plays to be sort of unreachable. Her characters are difficult to relate to, as most of their actions seem irrational or out of the blue. I'd like to see these plays performed to get a better sense of how to take them in. I can never truly make my mind up about Sarah Ruhl, though.
November 26, 2018
“I just want – to be with time, as it moves along.” Late, again, in writing about books I read. Count me a new fan of Sarah Ruhl. Her plays thread something subtle between drama and reality, and reading them feels like noticing a gossamer veil behind our everyday actions and conversations. My favorite one was “Late: A Cowboy Song,” which made me feel things on the A train. “Melancholy Play” and especially “Clean House” strike home with witty humor, and “Eurydice” levels your heart with an aching throb. Can’t wait to see a production of one of these!
September 10, 2023
I got this years ago after seeing "The Clean House" in Toronto. I would say it's by far the strongest of the four plays. I think I liked them less well as they progressed. Though, to be fair, "Eurydice" probably suffers from the fact that I saw "Hadestown" a few weeks ago, and I think that's a better adaptation. Sounds more fun at least. I also think it's hard to review plays, because they're meant to be heard, not read. It's probably not a surprise that my favourite is the one I've actually seen.
July 18, 2025
Ruhl's plays leap off the page into 3D like few others, then break the fourth wall into the surreal and beyond. Clever not only in dialogue but stage design, direction, and upset of convention, the four plays included offer a mix of comedy, drama, satire, and philosophy.
*Footnote: After finishing Late: A Cowboy Song but before finishing the book, I spent a week in Yellowstone with my girlfriend who also decided she wanted to be a cowboy. I tried not to let the big sky cloud my judgment.
*Footnote: After finishing Late: A Cowboy Song but before finishing the book, I spent a week in Yellowstone with my girlfriend who also decided she wanted to be a cowboy. I tried not to let the big sky cloud my judgment.
July 14, 2021
The Clean House was by far my favorite from this collection. It was easy to see myself and people I know playing these characters. I especially loved the conversation between the husband and his lover about the invention of surgical gloves - love inspired invention. I read that scene to my husband and we cried together. Very powerful.
September 5, 2022
From favorite to least:
The Clean House
Eurydice
Late: A Cowboy Song
Melancholy Play
or something like that. Would probably have enjoyed these more seeing them on stage (obviously) though there is some wonderful writing in each of these.
The Clean House
Eurydice
Late: A Cowboy Song
Melancholy Play
or something like that. Would probably have enjoyed these more seeing them on stage (obviously) though there is some wonderful writing in each of these.
May 10, 2023
These plays were quirky, fun, meaningful, & unlike any other plays I’ve read/seen. Ruhl is not only a fabulous writer, with lines that made me feel like I was reading mini-poems, but a great character developer and story-weaver. I will absolutely be consuming more of her work in the future.
February 17, 2024
took me a while to finish this but man i cried. CRIED. if i had to rank the plays in this book based on how much i want to gut myself from all the emotions i felt to had a pretty good time reading, i would rank them as eurydice, the clean house, late: a cowboy song, and melancholy play
June 6, 2025
My brain is too dead to afford this collection of plays a proper review but suffice to say they are superb, heart wrenching, and hilarious. Her directorial anecdotes sprinkled through the text are gems as well. Maybe I should start reading more plays….
May 28, 2017
Melancholy Play and Eurydice are definitely the two plays that I liked best. Eurydice is like, the saddest thing ever and I want to do it so bad. Ugh. So heartbreaking.
September 30, 2017
well i only actually read the 1st 2 plays. and i enjoyed them.
September 20, 2018
It’s interesting, creative, and well-written. A bit too edgy for my taste.
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