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Mr. Burns and Other Plays
"One of the most spectacularly original plays in recent memory."—Entertainment Weekly
"Fascinating and hilarious . . . With each of its three acts, Mr. Burns grows grander."—Village Voice
"When was the last time you met a new play that was so smart it made your head spin? . . . Mr. Burns has arrived to leave you dizzy with the scope and dazzle of its ideas . . . with depths of feeling to match its breadth of imagination."—The New York Times
An ode to live theater and the resilience of The Simpsons, Anne Washburn's apocalyptic comedy Mr. Burns—"even better than its hype" (New York Post)—is an imaginative exploration of how the culture of one generation can evolve into the mythology of the next. Following an enthusiastic critical reception from New York critics for its world premiere, Mr. Burns will receive its London premiere in spring 2014. Also included in the collection are The Small, I Have Loved Strangers, and Orestes, all of which, together, develop a theme of destruction, from the personal to the city to civilization and, finally, to the destruction of form.
Anne Washburn's plays include The Internationalist, A Devil at Noon, Apparition, The Communist Dracula Pageant, I Have Loved Strangers, The Ladies, The Small, and a transadaptation of Euripides's Orestes. Her awards include a Guggenheim, NYFA Fellowship, Time Warner Fellowship, and a Susan Smith Blackburn finalist. She is a member of 13P, The Civilians, and is a New Georges affiliated artist.
"Fascinating and hilarious . . . With each of its three acts, Mr. Burns grows grander."—Village Voice
"When was the last time you met a new play that was so smart it made your head spin? . . . Mr. Burns has arrived to leave you dizzy with the scope and dazzle of its ideas . . . with depths of feeling to match its breadth of imagination."—The New York Times
An ode to live theater and the resilience of The Simpsons, Anne Washburn's apocalyptic comedy Mr. Burns—"even better than its hype" (New York Post)—is an imaginative exploration of how the culture of one generation can evolve into the mythology of the next. Following an enthusiastic critical reception from New York critics for its world premiere, Mr. Burns will receive its London premiere in spring 2014. Also included in the collection are The Small, I Have Loved Strangers, and Orestes, all of which, together, develop a theme of destruction, from the personal to the city to civilization and, finally, to the destruction of form.
Anne Washburn's plays include The Internationalist, A Devil at Noon, Apparition, The Communist Dracula Pageant, I Have Loved Strangers, The Ladies, The Small, and a transadaptation of Euripides's Orestes. Her awards include a Guggenheim, NYFA Fellowship, Time Warner Fellowship, and a Susan Smith Blackburn finalist. She is a member of 13P, The Civilians, and is a New Georges affiliated artist.
304 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 25, 2024
This was a fun collection of plays full of very interesting concepts. I had heard about Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play from a friend and was excited when I found this collection. Mr. Burns is definitely a highlight, tho I also liked 10 out of 12 as well, some of the others were interesting but didn't jump off the page as well for me as some other plays I've read but not seen.
August 20, 2019
Well, I read MR. BURNS last year, in consideration for our musical offering in our Women Playwright season, but the students voted for FUN HOME, so...I didn't get to explore Ms. Washburn any further. However, my summer reading list is coming to a close because I ran out of money to buy the plays and school starts next week. I decided to pick up this compilation and finish it because Ms. Washburn intrigues me. The other three plays are a fun mixture. I HAVE LOVED STRANGERS is a cross between the Book of Jeremiah and the Weather Underground's activities. Albeit, Ms. Washburn indicates that you really don't need to know anything about those two subjects to do the play, and she's right because neither subject is dealt with in anything that resembles clarity. I have a feeling that this play is really fun to watch. It doesn't pick up on the page, but...I would be interested to see it. There are some decent scenes and monologues for my female students in that play, as well. THE SMALL is a strange little play. I felt like I was in an alternate universe at a Natural Foods Store that I used to go to in Albuquerque. It's not set there, but I kept seeing it in my mind's eye. I love that this play does not answer any of its mysterious offerings. It also has great scenes and monologues for males and females. 10 OUT OF 12 is an insider's view into the process of theater tech and it fulfills that insider's view very accurately, and, yet, the heart of the play is set in the thoughts of the character Paul, and I found myself hurled back into my career straight out of undergrad, during his thought-monologue on the soul of theater towards the end of the play. The late night rehearsals and techs that led to tears and screaming. The walking out into the 3AM or 4AM darkness from a parking garage theater with low ceilings. The danger in the air, the sexiness of the people who smell, and, yet, you'll wake up 2 hours later to go to your 7AM waitressing job and turn around and do it all over again because it felt important.
Anne Washburn seems to be the voice of my generation, this micro-generation from 1977-1983 - the Xennials. We are a small niche group that understands the analog and digital world in an intimate way. We also struggle with the beauty of not being available at all times in the presence of social media and the quiet that used to come from just walking in a new place. Or the innocence that comes from not knowing what will happen in the future. My younger students didn't really love MR. BURNS, but my non-traditionally-aged students loved it. So...I worry that Ms. Washburn might not speak to all of us, but I love her plays, and my niche generation will hear and see the subtleties that she is able to impart.
Anne Washburn seems to be the voice of my generation, this micro-generation from 1977-1983 - the Xennials. We are a small niche group that understands the analog and digital world in an intimate way. We also struggle with the beauty of not being available at all times in the presence of social media and the quiet that used to come from just walking in a new place. Or the innocence that comes from not knowing what will happen in the future. My younger students didn't really love MR. BURNS, but my non-traditionally-aged students loved it. So...I worry that Ms. Washburn might not speak to all of us, but I love her plays, and my niche generation will hear and see the subtleties that she is able to impart.
August 5, 2023
Not going to lie, I didn't read the last play because honestly, who are these plays for? Clearly not me because I just did not get them at all. Not appealing remotely. So strange and just like what were they even about?!? I thought maybe this one (play) will be better than the previous but nope, they all sucked. So why bother reading the last one? I highly doubt it would suddenly impress me.
This is getting an F.
This is getting an F.
September 13, 2023
(I read Mr. Burns)
"I will meet life gloriously."
Station Eleven WISHES (I haven't read Station Eleven). I love how nearly all visual aspects of the production are left up to interpretation. Sorry to The Thompsons, but a dusk to dark production of A Streetcar Named Marge does sound incredible.
"I will meet life gloriously."
Station Eleven WISHES (I haven't read Station Eleven). I love how nearly all visual aspects of the production are left up to interpretation. Sorry to The Thompsons, but a dusk to dark production of A Streetcar Named Marge does sound incredible.
July 19, 2022
[Only read Mr. Burns]
Definitely very original.
The play is in three acts, the first in the months after some global, nearly apocalyptic disaster that has left the entire world without power. we learn sometime in the first act that this caused nuclear power plants to fail, which might have caused some plague or contagion. the characters gather round a fire as they traverse the US looking for shelter and supplies, and they’re remembering the plot to an old Simpsons episode, mainly to pass the time.
The second act is 7 years later, this group seems to have made reenacting simpsons episodes their job- like a theater troupe, finding a way to entertain the masses in a post-electric world. but it’s still unstable, there’s still violence.
The third act is 75 years later, and it’s the evolved version of one of these performances. The same Simpsons episode is acted out, made fallible by the original characters’ memories and decades of oral tradition. This performance is like a greek chorus, all supposed to be expressed in song.
ok so my thoughts:
For the first ten pages, I found it hard to get a grip on the story. The punctuation system the author chooses is, I suppose, helpful to performers, but super confusing to read. In my opinion: I found it hard to follow the first act and enjoy it until I booted up Disney+ and watched the Simpsons episode the whole play is referencing (5.2, Cape Feare). Once they stop trying to recap the episode (which kind of drags), I enjoyed the first act and the world building within. Washburn does a great way of imparting a sense of dread in a super subtle fashion.
Act II is better. Kind of where the play starts doing what it intends to do. That being a commentary on art and what we want it to do for us, especially in difficult times.
Act III deserves the hype. My gripe with the act: I hate when authors write lyrics but give no hint as to what the song is supposed to sound like. Slow, fast, swinging beat? And it’s not like, the Iliad where it can be read as a poem, in my opinion. There are repeating lines and choruses and to me it just doesn’t feel right without the idea of a melody.
That’s my problem with the third act. Aside from that, I really do think it’s genius. It’s both about art and memory. How our recollection of things as simple as plots to Simpsons episodes can be refracted and changed over time by horrific events. How we use art to convince ourselves to keep going. Favorite line is probably “Love never dies in memory / and I will meet life gloriously.”
Definitely very original.
The play is in three acts, the first in the months after some global, nearly apocalyptic disaster that has left the entire world without power. we learn sometime in the first act that this caused nuclear power plants to fail, which might have caused some plague or contagion. the characters gather round a fire as they traverse the US looking for shelter and supplies, and they’re remembering the plot to an old Simpsons episode, mainly to pass the time.
The second act is 7 years later, this group seems to have made reenacting simpsons episodes their job- like a theater troupe, finding a way to entertain the masses in a post-electric world. but it’s still unstable, there’s still violence.
The third act is 75 years later, and it’s the evolved version of one of these performances. The same Simpsons episode is acted out, made fallible by the original characters’ memories and decades of oral tradition. This performance is like a greek chorus, all supposed to be expressed in song.
ok so my thoughts:
For the first ten pages, I found it hard to get a grip on the story. The punctuation system the author chooses is, I suppose, helpful to performers, but super confusing to read. In my opinion: I found it hard to follow the first act and enjoy it until I booted up Disney+ and watched the Simpsons episode the whole play is referencing (5.2, Cape Feare). Once they stop trying to recap the episode (which kind of drags), I enjoyed the first act and the world building within. Washburn does a great way of imparting a sense of dread in a super subtle fashion.
Act II is better. Kind of where the play starts doing what it intends to do. That being a commentary on art and what we want it to do for us, especially in difficult times.
Act III deserves the hype. My gripe with the act: I hate when authors write lyrics but give no hint as to what the song is supposed to sound like. Slow, fast, swinging beat? And it’s not like, the Iliad where it can be read as a poem, in my opinion. There are repeating lines and choruses and to me it just doesn’t feel right without the idea of a melody.
That’s my problem with the third act. Aside from that, I really do think it’s genius. It’s both about art and memory. How our recollection of things as simple as plots to Simpsons episodes can be refracted and changed over time by horrific events. How we use art to convince ourselves to keep going. Favorite line is probably “Love never dies in memory / and I will meet life gloriously.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2023
I'm going to rank the plays in this collection from the one I liked the most to least.
10-12: Honestly, super funny and a pretty good look at what a 10-12 entails during a tech week process. I didn't know what to expect when I first started reading it but I loved it. I would love to see a production of this show, it really captures a certain moment in a shows life and tells it truthfully within the world.
Mr. Burns: I loved this one as well, a play about the Simpsons and the end of the world, sign me up! Super genius three act play, each one different from the next, yet they all work super well together. I would also love to see a production of this show because the script and tech elements mentioned seem like a spectacle to see live.
I Have Loved Strangers: I had never heard of this show before reading it and was pleasantly surprised. It loosely takes scripture from the book of Joseph and moment from the Weather Underground (a political groups) history and splices them together. Not going to lie, the first half of the play I was super confused but it does tie together really nicely and have a lot of good monologue and scenes for classes.
The Small: this was probably the only one I didn't really like. Again had great scenes and monologues but none of the scenes felt connected with one and other and I had a super hard time following the plot. That being said, it still was somewhat of an enjoyable read.
10-12: Honestly, super funny and a pretty good look at what a 10-12 entails during a tech week process. I didn't know what to expect when I first started reading it but I loved it. I would love to see a production of this show, it really captures a certain moment in a shows life and tells it truthfully within the world.
Mr. Burns: I loved this one as well, a play about the Simpsons and the end of the world, sign me up! Super genius three act play, each one different from the next, yet they all work super well together. I would also love to see a production of this show because the script and tech elements mentioned seem like a spectacle to see live.
I Have Loved Strangers: I had never heard of this show before reading it and was pleasantly surprised. It loosely takes scripture from the book of Joseph and moment from the Weather Underground (a political groups) history and splices them together. Not going to lie, the first half of the play I was super confused but it does tie together really nicely and have a lot of good monologue and scenes for classes.
The Small: this was probably the only one I didn't really like. Again had great scenes and monologues but none of the scenes felt connected with one and other and I had a super hard time following the plot. That being said, it still was somewhat of an enjoyable read.
August 8, 2018
Before reading, “Mr. Burns and Other Plays,” I hadn’t read a play, let alone a collection of plays, since high school. But, I was drawn to Anne Washburn’s collection because of how strange they sounded (particularly, how the title play seemed to promise to apply current pop culture into a future post-apocalyptic setting) and how well performances of her works have been received. Although I wasn’t disappointed (the plays certainly are unique), I think this collection will ultimately be remembered by me as a reminder of how different plays (particularly Washburn’s) are from novels.
The title play in this collection--Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play--contains a fair number of very general stage directions; but, then leaves these directions largely to the discretion of the director and stage manager to implement--and, the reader to imagine. As a result, reading the play feels like a very different experience from reading a novel. I found myself trying to imagine the different choices someone would make in acting out the work, and speculating at how certain stage instructions would look when performed. This ultimately took away from the experience of reading the play; there was simply too much left to my imagination, and I found myself too curious at how the play would appear as a performance (something I’d very much like to see). Still, that said, I was nonetheless struck by the ambition of the play. The third act--wherein the Simpsons episode, “Cape Feare,” has morphed into a horrific analog for the near-destruction, but persistence, of human civilization--is incredible to imagine. And, the contrast of the play’s three separate acts, and the simultaneous devolution and stabilizing of society we witness through them, is similarly impressive. In the hands of a capable director, I can imagine that a performance of Mr. Burns would have a lasting impression on me.
The last play in this collection--10 out of 12--reads more as a novel than Mr. Burns. There’s less general direction, and three different modes of dialogue (people talking; actors acting; and stage workers talking over headsets). By using a more dialogue-focused narrative, Washburn creates a more easily realized work--and, thus, something that I found easier to enjoy. The play presents the fast-paced, many scenes of a play’s dress rehearsal (and, so, it’s a play within a play). Its pace is so quick, it kind of reads like an Aaron Sorkin work (meant as a compliment here). I think for someone who’s worked in theater, 10 out of 12 probably both rings very true and is somewhat gratifying to read. For me, as someone who has never worked in theater, it’s still an interesting window into a dynamic, but human, community.
The title play in this collection--Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play--contains a fair number of very general stage directions; but, then leaves these directions largely to the discretion of the director and stage manager to implement--and, the reader to imagine. As a result, reading the play feels like a very different experience from reading a novel. I found myself trying to imagine the different choices someone would make in acting out the work, and speculating at how certain stage instructions would look when performed. This ultimately took away from the experience of reading the play; there was simply too much left to my imagination, and I found myself too curious at how the play would appear as a performance (something I’d very much like to see). Still, that said, I was nonetheless struck by the ambition of the play. The third act--wherein the Simpsons episode, “Cape Feare,” has morphed into a horrific analog for the near-destruction, but persistence, of human civilization--is incredible to imagine. And, the contrast of the play’s three separate acts, and the simultaneous devolution and stabilizing of society we witness through them, is similarly impressive. In the hands of a capable director, I can imagine that a performance of Mr. Burns would have a lasting impression on me.
The last play in this collection--10 out of 12--reads more as a novel than Mr. Burns. There’s less general direction, and three different modes of dialogue (people talking; actors acting; and stage workers talking over headsets). By using a more dialogue-focused narrative, Washburn creates a more easily realized work--and, thus, something that I found easier to enjoy. The play presents the fast-paced, many scenes of a play’s dress rehearsal (and, so, it’s a play within a play). Its pace is so quick, it kind of reads like an Aaron Sorkin work (meant as a compliment here). I think for someone who’s worked in theater, 10 out of 12 probably both rings very true and is somewhat gratifying to read. For me, as someone who has never worked in theater, it’s still an interesting window into a dynamic, but human, community.
February 28, 2023
Anne Washburne is the Thornton Wilder of the 21st century. Her plays reflect a metatheatrical exploration of theatre history and dramatic writing rarely seen on stages today. This volume collects four of her plays demonstrating the development and progress of a playwright who is destined to be among the canon of great dramatists of the early 21st century. The anthology begins with the completely confounding and utterly postmodern "I Have Loved Strangers," which may not be successful as a piece, but provides the foundation for a playwright experimenting with form as much as content. Then, her work delves into apocalyptic magical realism in the ilk of Caryl Churchill's "The Skriker" and Jose Rivera's "Marisol" with "The Small." Next is Washburne's break-out play, "Mr. Burns" which imagines theatre history reinventing itself in a post-apocalyptic/post-electric world. Finally is the experimental, metatheatrical performance piece giving audiences a glimpse into the backstage world of "10 out of 12." Her work is not for everyone, but if you are a theatre junkie & history nerd like me, you may have just found your zeitgeist.
February 10, 2020
Three utterly brilliant plays in here, and a fourth ambitious experiment, all of which attest to Anne’s amazing creativity and attention to detail. I Have Loved Strangers is a really risky mashup of prophecy, the weather underground, Jeremiah, and New York City, and it works. Very unsettling meditation on terrorism (and kinda in a weird extended way writing in general with something to say in a world that doesn’t listen?)
The Small is a bizarre detour into a natural foods store increasingly turning into a twilight zone-esque center of weirdness. It has one of the best (possibly imaginary?) fights between exes I’ve ever read, a weird alien creature living in a watermelon, a magical dog...it’s weird, fun, wonderful.
Mr. Burns is flat out brilliant, a love letter to storytelling, theater, comedy, sampling, pop culture...and bold as heck.
10 out of 12 is closely observed theater about theater that also opens up in an unexpected way towards the end.
Read these plays! No two are alike, they’re all fiercely smart and a sign of a playwright boldly pushing theater forward.
The Small is a bizarre detour into a natural foods store increasingly turning into a twilight zone-esque center of weirdness. It has one of the best (possibly imaginary?) fights between exes I’ve ever read, a weird alien creature living in a watermelon, a magical dog...it’s weird, fun, wonderful.
Mr. Burns is flat out brilliant, a love letter to storytelling, theater, comedy, sampling, pop culture...and bold as heck.
10 out of 12 is closely observed theater about theater that also opens up in an unexpected way towards the end.
Read these plays! No two are alike, they’re all fiercely smart and a sign of a playwright boldly pushing theater forward.
September 19, 2018
With one incredible play, two fascinating experimental pieces, and one oddly mundane but well-intentioned experimental piece, Anne Washburn is hitting above average in her collection. "Mr. Burns" is still a show that must be seen to be believed, and the Dave Malloy collab "The Small" and Biblical/Weather Underground mashup "I Have Loved Strangers" probably read better than they play. Though her tribute to the banality and beauty of a theatre tech rehearsal, "10 Out of 12," can be dull, the ending essentially justifies the entire play and its high-concept conceit of watching and listening to two different production levels at once. Overall, Washburn blends Caryl Churchill's exploration of diverse theatrical genres with "Welcome to Night Vale's" magic realism and love of prose poetry- perhaps not an essential figure, but one well worth watching.
September 14, 2018
Take this review with a grain of salt, I guess, because I'm not generally much of a play-reader (although I do love to see them live).
The title play, Mr. Burns, was great, and I can only imagine how spectacular it would be to see on stage. It had a strong story, and an even stronger backbone of commentary on art and (especially) theater. It certainly lived up to the hype.
The rest of the plays were, at least for me, excruciating. I'm sure on the stage it would be a different story, but on the page, they were dull and meandering, at times bordering on incoherent.
The title play, Mr. Burns, was great, and I can only imagine how spectacular it would be to see on stage. It had a strong story, and an even stronger backbone of commentary on art and (especially) theater. It certainly lived up to the hype.
The rest of the plays were, at least for me, excruciating. I'm sure on the stage it would be a different story, but on the page, they were dull and meandering, at times bordering on incoherent.
November 1, 2023
The three plays that weren't Mr. Burns had various things to recommend them. The Mr. Burns play was fantastic. I expected it to be one thing: a story about the redemptive power, in extremis, of schlock. And I got a little nervous, because The Simpsons is not schlock. I was happily surprised, then, to find the third act of the play doing something so deeply strange and weird, something that went beyond my initial idea, and I was impressed and moved.
January 30, 2019
I only read Mr. Burns bc that’s what was required of class but y’all!!!! This was some weird shit!!!
The first 2 acts weren’t really my thing, I appreciated the cool thought experiment + discussions it opens up, but I’m just not a huge fan of the Simpsons.
But that 3rd act???? It was so weird and inaccurate I was LIVING for it! That act alone bumped it to a 4 star rating.
The first 2 acts weren’t really my thing, I appreciated the cool thought experiment + discussions it opens up, but I’m just not a huge fan of the Simpsons.
But that 3rd act???? It was so weird and inaccurate I was LIVING for it! That act alone bumped it to a 4 star rating.
March 3, 2020
A lot of fun to read because the plays are so chaotic and weird, but most are fairly unsatisfying in how they wrap up.
Bought so I could read MR BURNS, which was wonderful. THE SMALL and 10 OUT OF 12 were fun but felt a little half-baked and more interesting in their concept / weirdness than in any actual plot.
Bought so I could read MR BURNS, which was wonderful. THE SMALL and 10 OUT OF 12 were fun but felt a little half-baked and more interesting in their concept / weirdness than in any actual plot.
September 2, 2025
4 Stars for the experiment. These plays are not intended for mass appeal, or even to be fully understood I think - they are experiments in form, explorations in subject. It's an attempt to answer a question that nagged at Washburn, and for that I can find no fault. I'm grateful for her attempt, and for the chance to peer into her process.
August 26, 2022
I read this specifically for the Mr Burns play and all I can say is that the first two acts are brilliant- the third is unhinged and I had difficulty imagining the staging of it. I’d love to see it live.
February 15, 2021
A promising conceit that isn't fully pulled off, though I would love to see a production.
Read
August 26, 2021*Read Mr. Burns only*
October 31, 2022
always exciting to find a new favorite writer.
June 7, 2024
Iconic. I produced this play and it is even better on stage!
April 4, 2025
i’d literally rather die than sit through a single minute of a simpsons opera
September 22, 2025
I read this compilation of plays solely to read Mr. Burns. I was expecting to be blown away by it, but felt confused after finishing it. I think it has a lot of clever ideas, especially the analyzation of media in the future. Washburn’s use of the classic TV show, The Simpsons, shows how something so familiar can be drastically changed and interpreted as it is passed down through future generations. What stories or ideas have we warped that began as something entirely different? Using The Simpsons makes this idea more approachable and I think leaves readers/viewers with a lot to think about regarding storytelling and the passage of time. I think there were some things in this that went over my head a little bit, though. But, I think it’s still worth reading.
July 22, 2020
I Have Loved Strangers: This isn't really my kind of play, but I enjoyed parts of it. This is a non-realist play, without a clear plotline, and I'm very boring in my preference for plotlines. However, this also draws heavily from the Book of Jeremiah, and while I haven't read it, I do like adaptations, so that use of source material was intriguing. That being said, I don't really know what the play was about, apart from the destructive experience of prophecy and the difficulty of knowing false prophecy from true.
The Small: Like I Have Loved Strangers, I'm not entirely sold on this play. There are a lot of wierd effects that I'm not sure what to make of them--though it might be easier to appreciate if I saw the play on stage. For instance, at one point some chives are left on stage and they form into a bundle and walk off (with a puppeteer guiding them). And there are several elf dances (with cleavage). But I'm not clear on what these kinds of things mean in the play.
Mr. Burns: So far, this is definitely my favorite of Washburn's plays. It's a metatheatrical post-apocalyptic play that imagines how entertainment would evolve from the fragmented remains of pop culture stored in ordinary people's memory, mostly The Simpsons. The three acts move progressively further from the catastrophe that wipes out most of civilization and the entire electrical grid--hence no more TV, movies, music, etc. except what people remember. Simultaneously, however, the methodology for re-performing these fragmented memories of pop culture become more elaborate and theatrical. In the first act, a group of survivors sit around a camp fire recounting a Simpsons episode like it's a half-remembered campfire story, constantly needing to retrace their steps to clarify, dispute whether an event occurred in this episode or a different one, and make other digressions. In the second act, the group has evolved into a kind of amateur theatre troop, performing a variety-show style rendition of television, complete with commercial breaks and pop music programs. But the episodes (as well as the commercials and the songs) are even more garbled, and they need to buy, negotiate, or trade the rights to particular lines--out of which whole "episodes" are extrapolated. Then in the final act, the rendition of a Simpsons episode has become a full blown high theatrical drama, but it bears even less resemblance to the original show than ever. The show begins with a Classical chorus of Springfield residents, who recount the nuclear meltdown that lead to the actual collapse of civilization, then a rendition of the Simpsons' "Cape Feare," which pulls much more from the De Niro version of the film than from The Simpsons.
https://youtu.be/nr1sZ3I0odQ
10 Out of 12: Initially I wasn't that sold on this play. And by initially, I mean for about 92%. But for some reason I resisted the urge to put this down, and I kept on with it, and roughly ten pages from the end there was a fantastic moment that made the play coalesce brilliantly for me.
The play is basically an artistic rendering of the tech rehearsal for a play, with an inordinate amount of time devoted to the director working with the lighting and sound people to make minor adjustments. It's interesting, but it also feels rather like one of those self-indulgent theatre "experiments" where a dramatist makes a play out of the process of theatrical production just for the sake of doing so. But then, when one of the actors suggests improving an extension to a scene and having the playwright write it up formally later--this is during the tech rehearsal, remember--we get these two beautiful speeches of artistic philosophy that put the entire play in a stark and amazing new light for me. The actor who proposes the changes appeals to the need to make the right artistic choice, even though (or because) it is difficult. He argues for the soul's need to excel in one's art. And his co-actor answers with a speech grounded in an almost absurdist embrace of failure; the argument is that art will always fall short of the artistic ideal, and that artists must embrace that failure and learn to see that as beauty. In the play, these two artistic statements seem like they're in opposition, but I actually think Washburn valorizes and embraces both.
https://youtu.be/66D1z6LaPtA
The Small: Like I Have Loved Strangers, I'm not entirely sold on this play. There are a lot of wierd effects that I'm not sure what to make of them--though it might be easier to appreciate if I saw the play on stage. For instance, at one point some chives are left on stage and they form into a bundle and walk off (with a puppeteer guiding them). And there are several elf dances (with cleavage). But I'm not clear on what these kinds of things mean in the play.
Mr. Burns: So far, this is definitely my favorite of Washburn's plays. It's a metatheatrical post-apocalyptic play that imagines how entertainment would evolve from the fragmented remains of pop culture stored in ordinary people's memory, mostly The Simpsons. The three acts move progressively further from the catastrophe that wipes out most of civilization and the entire electrical grid--hence no more TV, movies, music, etc. except what people remember. Simultaneously, however, the methodology for re-performing these fragmented memories of pop culture become more elaborate and theatrical. In the first act, a group of survivors sit around a camp fire recounting a Simpsons episode like it's a half-remembered campfire story, constantly needing to retrace their steps to clarify, dispute whether an event occurred in this episode or a different one, and make other digressions. In the second act, the group has evolved into a kind of amateur theatre troop, performing a variety-show style rendition of television, complete with commercial breaks and pop music programs. But the episodes (as well as the commercials and the songs) are even more garbled, and they need to buy, negotiate, or trade the rights to particular lines--out of which whole "episodes" are extrapolated. Then in the final act, the rendition of a Simpsons episode has become a full blown high theatrical drama, but it bears even less resemblance to the original show than ever. The show begins with a Classical chorus of Springfield residents, who recount the nuclear meltdown that lead to the actual collapse of civilization, then a rendition of the Simpsons' "Cape Feare," which pulls much more from the De Niro version of the film than from The Simpsons.
https://youtu.be/nr1sZ3I0odQ
10 Out of 12: Initially I wasn't that sold on this play. And by initially, I mean for about 92%. But for some reason I resisted the urge to put this down, and I kept on with it, and roughly ten pages from the end there was a fantastic moment that made the play coalesce brilliantly for me.
The play is basically an artistic rendering of the tech rehearsal for a play, with an inordinate amount of time devoted to the director working with the lighting and sound people to make minor adjustments. It's interesting, but it also feels rather like one of those self-indulgent theatre "experiments" where a dramatist makes a play out of the process of theatrical production just for the sake of doing so. But then, when one of the actors suggests improving an extension to a scene and having the playwright write it up formally later--this is during the tech rehearsal, remember--we get these two beautiful speeches of artistic philosophy that put the entire play in a stark and amazing new light for me. The actor who proposes the changes appeals to the need to make the right artistic choice, even though (or because) it is difficult. He argues for the soul's need to excel in one's art. And his co-actor answers with a speech grounded in an almost absurdist embrace of failure; the argument is that art will always fall short of the artistic ideal, and that artists must embrace that failure and learn to see that as beauty. In the play, these two artistic statements seem like they're in opposition, but I actually think Washburn valorizes and embraces both.
https://youtu.be/66D1z6LaPtA
July 30, 2018
Have not had the opportunity to see any of the plays live, but I will keep my eyes open as I really enjoyed what I read. A classic case of writing what you know, the tales often are of performances going on in a slightly twisted but still recognizable world. The highlight is Mr. Burns which I thought was brilliant, the need to share experiences within a society and the positive/negative impact that can have on everyone is a perfect mirror to our "Meme Culture". I believe the story can be enjoyed without a strong Simpsons base, but being a fan myself I felt it added another level of enjoyment. The 10 out of 12 is similar to Noises Off and starts slowly but ended well. I Have Loved Strangers was good though not as memorable and The Small was my least favorite, to the point that I can't remember anything about it.
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