Norman, Is That You?: A Comedy in Two-Acts

by Ron Clark, Sam Bobrick

Norman, Is That You? is a 1970 play in two acts by American playwrights Ron Clark and Sam Bobrick about a Jewish couple coming to terms with their son's homosexuality. The work is notably the first play written by both writers.

78 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Ron Clark has been called "America's Educator." In 2000, he was named Disney's American Teacher of the Year. He is a New York Times bestselling author whose book, The Essential 55, has sold over 1 million copies and has been published in 25 different countries.

--from the author's website

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even allowing for the fact this play is almost 50 years old, it is offensive on so many levels - not only the Neanderthal attitudes towards homosexuality, but the use of the terms 'Negro' and 'Oriental' as well. Although I vaguely remember it from way back then (yes, as a matter of fact, I AM that old!), the impetus for my re-read is that it figures prominently in Arundhati Roy's new novel 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness', which I read recently, wherein four of the major characters meet during a college production of the play, and the heroine uses the name of the swishy character of 'Garson Hobart' as a code name. Regardless, the sit-com/Borscht Belt 'zingers' rarely land, and the only real interest the play embodies is as a historical artifact. The two stars are for that, and the fact that there are maybe 4 or 5 good chuckles that AREN'T offensive.

[Joe Marino · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this play. I like crazy family plays.
But this is such a tone deaf play about homosexuality . The play originally was written/performed in the early 1970's- the copy I'm reading is revised in 1997. It's almost embarrassing.

[behsforensics]

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