The Revisionist

by Jesse Eisenberg, John Patrick Shanley (Introduction)

A play by the multitalented “[Eisenberg] has a wry ear and a knack for unsentimental poignancy that keeps The Revisionist emotionally compelling.”—USA TodayThough he first became known for his acting in films ranging from The Squid and the Whale to The Social Network, Jesse Eisenberg has also emerged as an acclaimed literary talent—a regular contributor to the New Yorker and a highly praised playwright.In The Revisionist, his second play, young writer David arrives in Poland with a crippling case of writer’s block and a desire to be left alone. His seventy-five-year-old second cousin, Maria, welcomes him with a fervent need to connect with her distant American relative. As their relationship develops, she will reveal details about her postwar past that test their ideas of what it means to be a family.This “tightly structured, deeply human play about the truthful mess of human experience” (Exeunt Magazine) had its world premiere at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York in spring 2013, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Vanessa Redgrave and directed by Kip Fagan.“A rewarding account of cultural collision that yields unexpected reflections on the centrality of family in our lives—whether we idealize them or take them for granted…As a playwright, Eisenberg’s intentions seem clear. He takes a critical swipe at himself, and by extension, his entitled generation.”—Hollywood Reporter

Genres: Plays, Drama, Fiction, Theatre

98 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 3, 2013

About the author

Jesse Adam Eisenberg is an American actor, playwright, author, and humorist. He has played featured or starring roles in films such as The Squid and the Whale (2005), Adventureland (2009), Zombieland (2009), and The Social Network (2010).

Eisenberg was born in New York City and was raised in East Brunswick Township, New Jersey. After graduating from high school, he studied anthropology at The New School in Greenwich Village, New York City. He majored in liberal arts, with a concentration in Democracy and Cultural Pluralism.

Reviews

[Maciek · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Revisionist is the kind of play which one is supposed to see, not read - Jesse Eisenberg is an actor and clearly created the main character with himself in mind, and does performs the role on stage. I suspect that when the play will end its run, we won't see it performed with another cast.

The main problem that I had with The Revisionist is that it's simply not a very interesting play to begin with. The main protagonist, an American writer named David, travels to the Polish port city of Szczecin to cope with his writer's block. He stays with his second cousin, a 75 year old Polish woman named Maria, in her small, stuffed apartment. David is largely antisocial, self-absorbed, and wants to be left alone - which is a great contrast to Maria, who is desperate to develop a connection with her family.

The relationship between David and Maria (played on stage by Vanessa Redgrave) is the key point of the play - but on the page it reads clumsily and develops without many surprises. The main reason I picked the play up is because it was set in Poland, and featured Polish characters - but there's little Poland in it, as it takes place in an apartment which could as well be in East Village. Since this is a script, characters are occasionally said to speak in Polish but their dialogue is written in English - which is not Eisenberg's fault, but is what didn't allow me to immerse myself in the situation that he created. I'm sure I would enjoy it at least a bit more if I saw him and Vanessa Redgrave perform this on stage; but since I didn't two stars are all I can give it.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't terribly impressed by Eisenberg's latest play (The Spoils), but this was a winner... very funny, as well as heartbreaking, and I only wish I could have seen its premiere production starring Eisenberg and the great Vanessa Redgrave - and it's a shame the intended transfer from Off-Broadway to Broadway never happened.

One thing I particularly liked is how the title of the play changed meaning - you initially think it refers to David (Eisenberg's character), a callow pseudo intellectual who has taken a trip to Poland to cadge a free place to live while he revises his latest novel. Late in the play you realize it probably refers to his cousin, Maria, who has 'revised' her tragic history. And then eventually, you think that just maybe the title refers to the audience itself... who has to revise their opinion of BOTH characters by the end of the play.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Jesse Eisenberg fan, I obviously bought the book as soon as it was published and read it at the first opportunity I had. I’ve heard a lot of great things about both his plays, and couldn’t wait to read the script to his second play, also entitled The Revisionist.
First of all, it’s a SCRIPT, not a book. It’s just the dialog and a few situation descriptions. It’s literally the play written down!

David, a writer, travels all the way to Poland to live with his seventy-five-year-old second cousin Maria to try and get rid of his writer’s block. In the short time he lives with Maria, he discovers a few secrets that test both their ideas on the meaning of family.

I really liked it. The fun thing is that plays have a very well thought-out character development and the use of the correct words is very important.
The jokes are genius, the situations are funny and the ending heartbreaking and slightly shocking.
I really liked it, that’s all I can say. It’s hard to rate a script when you’ve never seen the play. I wish I had the opportunity to see it, though!

Jesse Eisenberg often writes short stories for the New Yorker, and I personally like his style. He has a very creative way of thinking and always finds a funny way of putting something. He chooses his words carefully and has a quick pacing that keeps you reading.

The play starred Jesse Eisenberg as David and Vanessa Redgrave as Maria. Its world premiere was at the Cherry Lane Theatre on February 28th 2013. Tickets were sold out in three days. There’s been talk the Revisionist will be on Broadway in the beginning of 2014.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I read this because I have a huge crush on Jesse Eisenberg?

Yes, I did.

I kind of wish I knew of this play existence when it was playing in New York City because I would have definitely gone to it. The Revisionist is about a young writer David who is suffering from writer's block. His remedy? Visit his aging second cousin Maria in Poland. While he only wants to work on writing his book and smoking weed, she wants to have family time as she is lonely in her apartment, many worlds away from her family. During a four day period, many revelations are revealed.

I think I'm more surprised on how much I really enjoyed The Revisionist. Maria's revelations about the origin of her family were tear-inducing. Although, there were many times I wanted to smack David for being ungrateful, I felt bad for him as well. He was lost and aimless. I know that feeling all too well.

[Marianella⋆˚꩜ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Por lejos lo mejor que escribió Eisenberg.

[pajama_plants_221015]

I read this… a while ago.
Did I finish it? I don’t think so.

[Mitchie Baudelaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

That twist was in the making all along, yet it still surprised me into giving it 5th star.
Not Maria calling out all writers on their procrastination shit. Brilliant.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't relate much to the characters, but it's a beautiful story.

[AP · Rating 5 out of 5]

my first date in london was with an albanian guy who was very earnestly explaining his country’s communist history while we zigzagged through trafalgar square. it was fun, we were having a good time sharing political anecdotes, until we passed the waterstones near the condé nast office, and i spotted bream gives me hiccups by jesse eisenberg. naturally, i had to go in. and once inside, i had to read. front to back. immediately. completely forgetting about my date, who, to his credit, probably waited an appropriate amount of time before realising he was replaced by a paperback. meanwhile, i was deep in the book, laughing, fully immersed, experiencing the strongest parasocial connection i had ever felt until that point. when i finally resurfaced, the book was over, my date was gone, and i had unknowingly ghosted a man in real-time. no second date, obviously. but i did leave with something more profound: an existential crisis about how much i relate to jesse eisenberg’s writing (and what that would mean). to this day, i remain absolutely transfixed by whatever literary output he blesses us with, like a moth to a neurotic, hyper-verbal flame. whether it’s the biting humor of his the new yorker pieces, or the slow-burn devastation of this play, he has a way of making neurotic self-sabotage feel both deeply personal and universally inevitable.

[Himali Kothari · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Revisionist by Jesse Eisenberg

A young author travels from America to Poland for some quite time in his relative's house to finish his second book. Two people chasms apart in personality, culture, background forge a bond. But when secrets tumble out, will this newfound friendship survive? Is Maria's final act her triumph over her loneliness or is it loss of another ally?

The author intersperses the scenes with a news telecast which is focussed on Vietnam. At the start the news is about Vietnam's slow emergence. The last news telecast is about the sitting Vietnamese president being welcomed atvthe White House. While the playwright could have had a dozen reasons for the news being about Vietnam, could it be his subtle dig at American superiority attitude much like David who is shown his place by his Polish relative? Could the play besides being about David and Maria also be about the political chemistry between US of A, Poland and Vietnam?🤔

[sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

liked this much more than the spoils...
would have loved to see more of a character arc for david considering how much he learns about maria's life / background...
definitely something that could be saved with the performance and directing, but the writing itself doesn't stand out as something spectacular. maria's story is fascinating. david is jesse eisenberg characterized 3.0

[Dan · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 out of 5

I cannot sum this play up better than the LA Times Review “David is a deeply annoying cipher”

Also worth noting the formatting of the e-book version I had made the incredible slog that much harder.

[matilda · Rating 3 out of 5]

i find it very hard to rate plays because reading them is very different to experiencing them live but i enjoyed this little play and after watching ‘a real pain’ it was great to see where some of that story came from

[Emi Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

david is another eisenberg self insert. his humor is so identifiable here once again like all his writing.

[Gillian Sutliff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got for Katie--pre read for fun. Not a fun play exactly but not bad.

[Jay Gabler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hell of a lot better than any play I wrote in my early 20s!

[AJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 actually

[Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skip John Patrick Shanley's annoyingly spoilerific introduction/review that seems fixated on black-and-white classification in a play rife with ambiguities. Eisenberg's character of David is heavily autobiographical, and therefore THE REVISIONIST's initial scenes can feel insular. However, the eventual way in which he utilizes self-deprecation proves that it isn't affectation. Neurosis is no façade. The play isn't an altogether satisfying read, but it's a frequently funny and humane work about privilege (check it) and necessity of open communication.

[Rebecca M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply put, this is a beautiful play. Jesse Eisenberg has a good ear for dialogue and seems to have a solid understanding of the human mind and heart (which doesn't surprise me as he's an actor). His characters are real people, their interactions are authentic, and the story forces the reader to think. I love a writer -- or an artist, really -- who doesn't spoon-feed his/her audience, who asks the audience to do a bit of work, and Jesse is certainly one such artist. I admire him for that.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this after seeing the play multiple times at the theatre earlier this year so i was already familiar with the story and characters and obviously could easily picture each scene as it was on stage.

however, it was still funny and sarcastic and witty and a little heart wrenching seeing the words on the page and i think the importance of the story still translates in this format.

[Arielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be my favorite Jesse Eisenberg play this far. It was quick witted and fast paced (in typical Eisenberg fashion) and spoke about the difference in how various generations view human connection.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the Polish/English direct translations were funny. I understood what the author was getting at about the cultural contrasts between American/Polish societies but felt it was overall a bit heavy-handed.

[Erica Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky...and heartbreaking.

[Lisa Marie Plant]

I think I would've liked to see this play, I think the humor would have been more obvious when acted.

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't know what to expect. I was impressed. Enjoyed the humor.