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The Shadow Box
In this compelling dramatic triptych, three terminal cancer patients dwell in separate cottages on a hospital grounds. The three are attended and visited by family and close friends: Agnes and her mother Felicity, estranged further by the latter's dementia; Brian and Beverly whose martial complications are exacerbated by Brian's new lover, Mark; and Joe and Maggie, unready for the strain of Joe's impending death and it's effect on their teenage son.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
March 18, 2024
SO SAD THEY WERE ALL HAPPY AT THE END OF ACT 1 WHY COULDNT THEY STAY LIKE THAT THEY WERENT REALLY HAPPY BUT THEY WERE CONTENT ENOUGH NOT TO HAVE PEOPLE SOBBING
July 21, 2020
"Well, just after the summer of love, winter came. Which was the last thing anybody expected."
The Shadow Box is one of my favorite plays, although showing its age in a couple of places now.
A wistful and moving rumination on death (and, by default, life) that somehow manages to avoid being maudlin even when it skates very close. Eminently quotable, although admittedly some of the quotes have a sort of 1970s zing to them now.
I first encountered The Shadow Box in a remarkable college production in Mankato, Minnesota, and I still see their innovative staging and lighting design every time I read this script. The performances were uniformly strong as well, probably the best of the four or five productions I've seen subsequently. (Also probably better than the filmed version, which I remember nothing about except vague disappointment. I should watch it again.)
It's a slappier play than I remembered. Literally, three different people get slapped in the face during the play, one of them several times. Not sure why that stood out for me this time.
Oh, I also noticed this time that the playwright does something in the script that just drives me up the wall: he describes one character as "about sixty or seventy years old." Dude, you are the writer. Figure out how old she is.
But -- still a great play. I'd love to direct it some day.
Here are a few more lines I especially like:
"Your whole life goes by -- it feels like it was only a minute."
"They tell you you're dying, and you say all right. But if I am dying ... I must still be alive."
"Our dreams are beautiful, our fate is sad. But day by day, it's generally pretty funny."
And, finally, the one that really struck me this time:
"Hopes, baby. That's what you got. A bad case of the hopes. They sneaked up on you when you weren't looking."
That could easily be a line from my very favorite play of all time (Fifth of July, by Lanford Wilson).
Which probably says something about the kinds of plays that call to me.
The Shadow Box is one of my favorite plays, although showing its age in a couple of places now.
A wistful and moving rumination on death (and, by default, life) that somehow manages to avoid being maudlin even when it skates very close. Eminently quotable, although admittedly some of the quotes have a sort of 1970s zing to them now.
I first encountered The Shadow Box in a remarkable college production in Mankato, Minnesota, and I still see their innovative staging and lighting design every time I read this script. The performances were uniformly strong as well, probably the best of the four or five productions I've seen subsequently. (Also probably better than the filmed version, which I remember nothing about except vague disappointment. I should watch it again.)
It's a slappier play than I remembered. Literally, three different people get slapped in the face during the play, one of them several times. Not sure why that stood out for me this time.
Oh, I also noticed this time that the playwright does something in the script that just drives me up the wall: he describes one character as "about sixty or seventy years old." Dude, you are the writer. Figure out how old she is.
But -- still a great play. I'd love to direct it some day.
Here are a few more lines I especially like:
"Your whole life goes by -- it feels like it was only a minute."
"They tell you you're dying, and you say all right. But if I am dying ... I must still be alive."
"Our dreams are beautiful, our fate is sad. But day by day, it's generally pretty funny."
And, finally, the one that really struck me this time:
"Hopes, baby. That's what you got. A bad case of the hopes. They sneaked up on you when you weren't looking."
That could easily be a line from my very favorite play of all time (Fifth of July, by Lanford Wilson).
Which probably says something about the kinds of plays that call to me.
February 29, 2024
Wow. This play is just wow. I love it.
April 26, 2009
The Shadow Box won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1977. The play is set in an unnamed hospital with cottages for the terminally ill, and centers on three people (Joe, Brian, Felicity) dying of unnamed illnesses, and their families. The stories are separate, braided together through the device of an unseen interviewer who allows the patients and family members to voice their inner thoughts and fears not exposed in other dialog.
The idea is that everybody dies, that very few people want to acknowledge or accept it, and that it's important to come to grips with mortality. Nothing new here.
The strength of this play, for me, is the relationships that develop among the dying and their loved ones. There is a father, wife and teenage son, a man and his former wife and current male lover, a mother and daughter. Almost everyone in an audience would find some sort of relationship with which to identify. Anger, laughter, deceit, honesty, all are explored.
There are weaknesses too. To some extent the play is dated. Thanks to hospice organizations, people no longer must die in an institution. The dialog is peppered with profane language which in some cases might be realistic with angry and terrified characters, but often it feels gratuitous here. And the unseen interviewer seemed artificial, an obvious and slightly ominous device to expose what characters are thinking.
Still, I think seeing this play performed by sensitive actors would make for a moving and thought-provoking experience.
The idea is that everybody dies, that very few people want to acknowledge or accept it, and that it's important to come to grips with mortality. Nothing new here.
The strength of this play, for me, is the relationships that develop among the dying and their loved ones. There is a father, wife and teenage son, a man and his former wife and current male lover, a mother and daughter. Almost everyone in an audience would find some sort of relationship with which to identify. Anger, laughter, deceit, honesty, all are explored.
There are weaknesses too. To some extent the play is dated. Thanks to hospice organizations, people no longer must die in an institution. The dialog is peppered with profane language which in some cases might be realistic with angry and terrified characters, but often it feels gratuitous here. And the unseen interviewer seemed artificial, an obvious and slightly ominous device to expose what characters are thinking.
Still, I think seeing this play performed by sensitive actors would make for a moving and thought-provoking experience.
October 8, 2018
A highly stylized, artificial situation manages to avoid being heavy handed and instead delves into the crux of mortality and how we cope when loved ones are terminally ill.
The set up for this Pulitzer-Prize winning veers towards the ridiculous: A camp were people go to die, and the various characters are interviewed to talk about how they feel and reveal salient plot points. It’s an idea that could have gone very badly – and it does feel very much of the late ’70s / early ’80s with its embrace of psychoanalysis – but once the play establishes its artifice, the story settles into the simplicity of human emotions. I’m still not sure it would resonate with most, but for a modernist play, it remains grounded in human emotion and experience. Recommended.
The set up for this Pulitzer-Prize winning veers towards the ridiculous: A camp were people go to die, and the various characters are interviewed to talk about how they feel and reveal salient plot points. It’s an idea that could have gone very badly – and it does feel very much of the late ’70s / early ’80s with its embrace of psychoanalysis – but once the play establishes its artifice, the story settles into the simplicity of human emotions. I’m still not sure it would resonate with most, but for a modernist play, it remains grounded in human emotion and experience. Recommended.
January 22, 2012
I absolutely love this script. I am performing as Maggie in a cut version of this show for a One Act play and I absolutely love it.
For character development purposes I have read the full version of this script many times over and I completely reccomend it as a read or a view. It is completely depressing and it will make you cry but as with most sad things, there are some really funny and beautiful moments here.
It's a very artistic show in the way that things all happen at once and especially in the structure of the final monologue and I would definitely reccomend it for those who enjoy very original dramatic pieces.
For character development purposes I have read the full version of this script many times over and I completely reccomend it as a read or a view. It is completely depressing and it will make you cry but as with most sad things, there are some really funny and beautiful moments here.
It's a very artistic show in the way that things all happen at once and especially in the structure of the final monologue and I would definitely reccomend it for those who enjoy very original dramatic pieces.
December 6, 2012
The Play shadow box by Michael Christoper was a sad play with out a happy ending. At some points in the play the reader just keeps wondering ok when is something going to happen. The start of the play is a little bit confusing because it switchs between many people such as joe then brian and this is all going on while talking to "Voice of Interviewer". At some points in the play though the reader really feels for these families. The book in my opinion is that it could have been a bit more fast paced but in the end it was a very good play. I would reccomend it for readers everywhere.
March 4, 2011
I really love this show/script. I was lucky enough to be introduced to this show through my college being a member of the stage crew. There are three cabins at this retreat home for terminally ill patients and their families. Each family is different: an old women and her daughter, a heterosexual couple and their son, and a homosexual couple and their drunk friend. The show goes through the emotions of each character and their families coping with the fact that they are dying.
December 12, 2017
Incredibly emotionally deep play. Very clear that the play builds to each of the characters having their own monologue/personal scene that highlights how they are dealing with the grief. In the end, that is what the play is about. The way people show how they are feeling versus what is really going on inside in these times of great emotional turmoil. Incredibly exploration of the way humans deal with these dark parts of what it means to be alive.
September 1, 2007
A play that is not only very well-written, but oh so poignant for me. Emmy and her circle of close and best friends performed it in their senior year at high school. What a gift they fashioned for themselves and their audiences, to close out an excellent high school career - they did it powerfully, compassionately, and with love, together.
December 1, 2011
I highly recommend this play. I fell in love with it. I performed a scene from it with my friend. The character I played, Beverly, is the ex-wife of a dying patient, Brian. The scene involves Brian's BOYFRIEND, Mark, and Beverly discussing the hardships of falling in love and Mark's struggle to take care of him. In reality, they are both equally afraid to lose him.
August 2, 2007
Another play that I read and then was cast in. It is a beautiful, tragic, sometimes harsh play about death (and life). I recommend it even if you aren't familiar with Kubler-Ross' theories about death.
February 11, 2009
A play about life, death, and everything in between. I highly recommend it. There are roles for all types of actors.
September 1, 2010
Brilliant.
July 29, 2011
Very serious play that looks at three families with a member at a hospice for cancer, each of whom is dying. Excellently well written & a real heart-wrencher. Won the Pulitzer Prize.
April 28, 2012
One of my favorite plays of all time. 3 stories. Poignant monologues. Absolutely beautiful arcs for Michael's characters.
November 28, 2014
I had the great privilege of doing a scene from this play and playing the wonderful role of Brian. Every word in this one is filled to the brim with purpose and life.
February 14, 2013
Beautiful. Life-affirming. I recommend everyone read this play. I thought it was incredible.
Read
May 30, 2015I played Beverley. This is the second-to-last play I was ever in. Joanne Woodward played that role on TV.
August 15, 2014
I played the role of Brian in my undergrad and often lifted monologues from this play to audition with or teach from.
June 18, 2016
Considering taking a role in a production of this play in the fall, so I bought it -- and it's very powerful. Can't wait to take it on.
July 5, 2018
Fantastic! Will be directing it in September.
September 25, 2024
LOVED.
3 cabins in a rehabilitation center for people with terminal (unsaid) illnesses.
cabin 1:
Joe, Maggie, their son Steve. Maggie won't come into the cabin, it scares her. Steve is estactic to see his father and wants to show him a new song he learned on guitar. Throughout the play they disucss how they lost everything. How they wanted a farm. How they now live in a small apartment. All the hopes and dreams that never came true. * Maggie covers it up but deeply deeply is devastated and wants nothing more than for Joe to come home. Joe refuses claiming this is the only place right for him, that will help him. Because as much as she doesnt want to admit it, he is dying. *
Maggie Joe -- 76-81*
Maggie monologue 77-78
cabin 2:
Brian, his lover Mark, and his ex wife Beverley. *Beverley arrives expecting to surprise Brian, but surprises Mark instead. Upon introducing each other they already know who the other is. Beverley offers a drink, but Mark is uptight refuses. Mark explains the hardships of lviing with Brian dying, Beverley finds a lighthearted outlook. This frustrates Mark.* ^^In next scene, Brian and beverley have a moment to chat. Beverley asks how Mark is in bed. Brian tells her theres more to life. He's happy, writing again, painting, and living his last few moments to the fullest. Eventually he lets his walls down and admits hes horrified. Beverley, as usual, is lighthearted and Brian appreciates that about her. ^^ Next scene, Brian and Beverley are dancing and Beverley is explaining all of her medals (jewlery gifts) from her previous lovers. Brian is enjoying himself, whereas Mark describes his experience as being a guest at a wedding. Brian tries to dance with Beverley, but is too weak. When the other two try to help and get concerned, Brian is embarassed and annoyed at them. + Next scene, Beverley asks how Brian is doing. She can tell from Mark's shortness he wants her to go. Mark monologues about meeting Brian, to which Beverley hits him with reality and makes him realize theyre more in the same boat than they think. Beverley talks about how someone needing you is not enough for you to stay. (which is why she left). She encourages Mark to leave. They physcially fight, out of sad emotion but end up embracing each other a few moments later. Beverley leaves without saying goodbye to Brian. +
Beverley + Mark -- 22-27 *
Beverley + Brian -- 37-44 ^
Beverley + Mark -- 66- 74 +
cabin 3:
Felicity and her daughter Agnes. Agnes has been writing letters from her sister Claire, who is actually dead. She discovers the only reason Felicity is hanging on to life, is the hope to see Claire again. This crushes Agnes.
3 cabins in a rehabilitation center for people with terminal (unsaid) illnesses.
cabin 1:
Joe, Maggie, their son Steve. Maggie won't come into the cabin, it scares her. Steve is estactic to see his father and wants to show him a new song he learned on guitar. Throughout the play they disucss how they lost everything. How they wanted a farm. How they now live in a small apartment. All the hopes and dreams that never came true. * Maggie covers it up but deeply deeply is devastated and wants nothing more than for Joe to come home. Joe refuses claiming this is the only place right for him, that will help him. Because as much as she doesnt want to admit it, he is dying. *
Maggie Joe -- 76-81*
Maggie monologue 77-78
cabin 2:
Brian, his lover Mark, and his ex wife Beverley. *Beverley arrives expecting to surprise Brian, but surprises Mark instead. Upon introducing each other they already know who the other is. Beverley offers a drink, but Mark is uptight refuses. Mark explains the hardships of lviing with Brian dying, Beverley finds a lighthearted outlook. This frustrates Mark.* ^^In next scene, Brian and beverley have a moment to chat. Beverley asks how Mark is in bed. Brian tells her theres more to life. He's happy, writing again, painting, and living his last few moments to the fullest. Eventually he lets his walls down and admits hes horrified. Beverley, as usual, is lighthearted and Brian appreciates that about her. ^^ Next scene, Brian and Beverley are dancing and Beverley is explaining all of her medals (jewlery gifts) from her previous lovers. Brian is enjoying himself, whereas Mark describes his experience as being a guest at a wedding. Brian tries to dance with Beverley, but is too weak. When the other two try to help and get concerned, Brian is embarassed and annoyed at them. + Next scene, Beverley asks how Brian is doing. She can tell from Mark's shortness he wants her to go. Mark monologues about meeting Brian, to which Beverley hits him with reality and makes him realize theyre more in the same boat than they think. Beverley talks about how someone needing you is not enough for you to stay. (which is why she left). She encourages Mark to leave. They physcially fight, out of sad emotion but end up embracing each other a few moments later. Beverley leaves without saying goodbye to Brian. +
Beverley + Mark -- 22-27 *
Beverley + Brian -- 37-44 ^
Beverley + Mark -- 66- 74 +
cabin 3:
Felicity and her daughter Agnes. Agnes has been writing letters from her sister Claire, who is actually dead. She discovers the only reason Felicity is hanging on to life, is the hope to see Claire again. This crushes Agnes.
September 13, 2025
and you don't remember anymore why ... why you walked out on the one person who said yes, you do what you have to because I love you. And you can't remember anymore what it was you thought you had to do or who the hell you thought you were that was so goddamn important that you couldn't hang around long enough to say goodbye or to find out what it was you were saying goodbye to ... Then you phone, because you need to know that somewhere, for no good reason, there is one poor stupid deluded human being who smells and rots and dies and still believes in you. One human being who cares. My God, why isn't that ever enough?
October 24, 2020
Wonderful exploration of the fear of death as seen through the characters that are facing it and the people they will leave behind. Establishing at the beginning of the play the stages of grief and the constant hope sought out while facing death, per Dr. Kubler-Ross' theory, allows the readers (audience) to delve into a more meaningful understanding of each character.
November 7, 2022
This play weaves together the stories of three families as they process the impending death of a loved one. Clever with both devastating and hilarious moments. Read this aloud as part of a play reading group.
May 13, 2021
Very well written, & would be really interesting to stage. BUT, most people would walk away upset.
September 13, 2023
This play made me cry like a baby in my dorm room
January 30, 2024
It hasn't aged well. Maybe if I hadn't just read Wit which covers similar territory but up close, intense, and personal.
February 21, 2024
HOLY MOLY. Grief. Grappling. Relationships. Hope. Connection. Life. Longing. All in one play. I’m gagged.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews