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Greater Tuna
Greater Tuna is the hilarious comedy about Texas' third smallest town, where the Lion's Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. The eclectic band of citizens that make up this town are portrayed by only two performers, making this satire on life in rural America even more delightful as they depict all of the inhabitants of Tuna -- men, women, children and animals.
66 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 20, 2017
Still getting used to satirical comedy. So many things in this show reflect the sad state of race relations in 1980s as well as today. With that in mind, looking at a typical day in Tuna was hilarious. The over the top characters and situations inspire laughter as well as cringing.
March 22, 2021
I gave this an ok rating because I didn't enjoy the play. It was dated, lacked a punch, and was annoying. I gave it more than one star because it had some fun wordplays for the actor to work on improving his/her technique.
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January 3, 20252019: Play Acting - Dom and Carter
September 6, 2020
This is hardly fair. Greater Tuna is not a literary play. This is very much a play meant to be seen--not read and reviewed as a literary piece. In other words, it is a script not a book.
Yet, I am not in the habit of reviewing play scripts as I do books, and I also have not had the opportunity to see this play in person … so I will have to do the best that I can and address its content while recognizing that a live performance could offer a completely different result.
How I came about reading this play goes back to the first and only time I participated in a stage performance myself and really became familiar with the culture of theater and its denizens. A truly great partnership was struck up between myself and another veteran theater pro which made me value the experience immensely. After our play’s run (Around the World in Eighty Days, if you must know), my friend gave me a copy of Greater Tuna and recommended that it be our next venture: a cast of two in a comedy play that featured no less than twenty characters. Now that sounded both challenging and fun!
Unfortunately, flattered though I was to be even considered for this role with someone who actually taught theater for a living, I had just welcomed my second child into the family (which would grow to five over the next several years) and the theater was a hefty commute from my home … besides receiving a payment nothing more than the siren call of accolades from the sparse but loyal audiences. I simply could not afford the time to make it work. My friend insisted on leaving the script with me just in case life calmed down at some point.
More than a decade passed … and the world shut down because of an unprecedented pandemic. Then, the unthinkable. My wife announced that she discovered on social media that our mutual friend from the theater days had fallen victim to the Corona Virus and passed away. We were both shocked and regaled ourselves with memories of him. I then recalled the play and realized that life had inexplicably slowed down. It was time to read the play, even if I lost the chance to perform it with my friend.
Because of that setup, I wanted for all the world to be able to say that this is a sharp, clever, and worthwhile read. But it is not. It is not good. It is not fun. I would not recommend reading this play.
The only thing going for this play is the gimmick (multiple characters being played by a couple of actors).
The only (purported) humor in this play is derived from making fun of rural society--not in an endearing, inclusive sort of way, but in an urban elitist condescending sort of way.
The only intrigue in this play occurs at the end of Act I when an actual plot point is revealed rather than simple sketches of every white southern religious stereotype in the book. (That plot point, by the way, fizzles and dies into a predictable, throwaway, situational joke in Act II.)
The only entertainment in this play occurs near the end of the second act as characters are switching so rapidly that they are talking to other characters from off stage as they switch costumes.
There. I said it. That is what I think of this play’s literary value.
However. Would it be different watching it as a live performance? Almost certainly. Would I recommend it if the headliners for the play were myself and my indomitable--now deceased--friend? Knowing him (and his excellent judgment in regards to my acting chops), I feel safe in preemptively awarding it my highest recommendation.
Reserve a spot center stage for me, old friend. Hopefully in Greater Heaven, but I’ll perform it with you wherever we end up!
Yet, I am not in the habit of reviewing play scripts as I do books, and I also have not had the opportunity to see this play in person … so I will have to do the best that I can and address its content while recognizing that a live performance could offer a completely different result.
How I came about reading this play goes back to the first and only time I participated in a stage performance myself and really became familiar with the culture of theater and its denizens. A truly great partnership was struck up between myself and another veteran theater pro which made me value the experience immensely. After our play’s run (Around the World in Eighty Days, if you must know), my friend gave me a copy of Greater Tuna and recommended that it be our next venture: a cast of two in a comedy play that featured no less than twenty characters. Now that sounded both challenging and fun!
Unfortunately, flattered though I was to be even considered for this role with someone who actually taught theater for a living, I had just welcomed my second child into the family (which would grow to five over the next several years) and the theater was a hefty commute from my home … besides receiving a payment nothing more than the siren call of accolades from the sparse but loyal audiences. I simply could not afford the time to make it work. My friend insisted on leaving the script with me just in case life calmed down at some point.
More than a decade passed … and the world shut down because of an unprecedented pandemic. Then, the unthinkable. My wife announced that she discovered on social media that our mutual friend from the theater days had fallen victim to the Corona Virus and passed away. We were both shocked and regaled ourselves with memories of him. I then recalled the play and realized that life had inexplicably slowed down. It was time to read the play, even if I lost the chance to perform it with my friend.
Because of that setup, I wanted for all the world to be able to say that this is a sharp, clever, and worthwhile read. But it is not. It is not good. It is not fun. I would not recommend reading this play.
The only thing going for this play is the gimmick (multiple characters being played by a couple of actors).
The only (purported) humor in this play is derived from making fun of rural society--not in an endearing, inclusive sort of way, but in an urban elitist condescending sort of way.
The only intrigue in this play occurs at the end of Act I when an actual plot point is revealed rather than simple sketches of every white southern religious stereotype in the book. (That plot point, by the way, fizzles and dies into a predictable, throwaway, situational joke in Act II.)
The only entertainment in this play occurs near the end of the second act as characters are switching so rapidly that they are talking to other characters from off stage as they switch costumes.
There. I said it. That is what I think of this play’s literary value.
However. Would it be different watching it as a live performance? Almost certainly. Would I recommend it if the headliners for the play were myself and my indomitable--now deceased--friend? Knowing him (and his excellent judgment in regards to my acting chops), I feel safe in preemptively awarding it my highest recommendation.
Reserve a spot center stage for me, old friend. Hopefully in Greater Heaven, but I’ll perform it with you wherever we end up!
June 12, 2012
I have been laughing at this play for 30 years! I've seen in live and watched a DVD performance of it 20 times and laugh until I cry every time.
(From Review)
Greater Tuna is the hilarious comedy about Texas' third smallest town, where the Lion's Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. The eclectic band of citizens that make up this town are portrayed by only two performers, making this satire on life in rural America even more delightful as they depict all of the inhabitants of Tuna -- men, women, children and animals.
(From Review)
Greater Tuna is the hilarious comedy about Texas' third smallest town, where the Lion's Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. The eclectic band of citizens that make up this town are portrayed by only two performers, making this satire on life in rural America even more delightful as they depict all of the inhabitants of Tuna -- men, women, children and animals.
May 13, 2013
A huge tour-de-force for the two actors who play ALL the roles.
October 26, 2013
This seems to be a book about tuna competition. I'll bite!
Can't wait to read this!
Can't wait to read this!
May 10, 2016
I first read this in high school but it'd been several years since I reread it, and it was just as hilarious as ever! One of my favorite comedic plays
December 21, 2011
I want to shop at Didi's Used Weapons, where "If Didi's can't kill it, it's immortal."
December 31, 2017
I have a lot of thoughts. Video to come. It will probably be a messy video but I'll link it here when it's up.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews