The Sea

by Edward Bond

A wild storm shakes a small East Anglian seaside village and sets off a series of events that changes the lives of all its residents. Set in the high Edwardian world of 1907, The Sea is a fascinating blend of wild farce, high comedy, biting social satire and bleak poetic tragedy.

Genres: Plays, Drama

80 pages, Paperback

First published August 30, 1973

About the author

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bond

Reviews

[Nadene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although called a comedy, I did not think this play comedic until the last 10 pages, which I found to be drop dead hilarious. Bond brings the various elements together in such a way as to further the plot towards that pinnacle of absurdity - the climax of the play - that makes you laugh out loud while reading. Can't say I loved it, but I did quite like it.

[la' · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice one...loving Evens character

[draxtor · Rating 5 out of 5]

How timely is this play from 1973? A (somewhat struggling) small-business owner's resentment over his class and status and related lack of respect propels him into (nowadays pretty standard) pre Alex Jones conspiracy theories: aliens from far away are about to take over the planet, they are already disguised among us and must be elminated.

His precariously employed workers are with him on this, at least temporarily, for many subtextual reasons one can easily imagine.

The local well-to-do iberal is of course also well-meaning but nonetheless (just like they come these days) condescending and performative rather than sincere in her expressing empathy (with the exception of a late stage and brief spontaneous self-reflective monologue = just like, again, in the REAL world of RIGHT NOW).

Who are the good guys? A smart and witty hobo who has to drink to cope with this oppressive shit, and a stranger (AN ALIEN FROM OUTER SPACE ... sorry I meant OUT OF TOWN!) + a griefing young woman.
And they must go henceforth and NOT GIVE UP AND NOT DESPAIR AND CHANGE THE WORLD!

Damn: positive, hopeful ending yes but why always YOUNG people to the rescue?

The pressure! I am serious (I have a 21 year old son!)

Damn you old farts who ruined this shit ....

[Martin Denton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Sea, by Edward Bond, seems to me to be an interesting play. It takes place in a village on the east coast of England in 1907. A young man is killed in an accident at sea; the townspeople mourn, some extravagantly (for example, his fiancee's aunt, the richest woman in the area, wears her supposed grief quite liberally on her sleeve); one man, the draper Hatch, decides the man who was in the boat with him and didn't drown is some kind of alien devil. The play feels as though it's more about atmosphere than plot; in its conveyance of a stifling provincial world out of which any intelligent and/or ambitious young person must get, it reminded me of the works of William Inge. I think I would enjoy a good production of The Sea.

[Rabbia Riaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of themes in this play but the one which hitted me the most is shown through the character of Hatch. He considers everybody to have come from some other planet. This is because we've changed ourselves a lot and seem to be the creatures of space. As there's concern of the title, Edward wants to describe the life in the context of Sea. Life is just like a sea; deep, sometimes calm,sometimes full of storms, engulfing the weaks and producing new ones and full of curiosity, suspense and mysteries.

[Zarmina Asif · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my case, a good teacher has provided the Comic relief otherwise the condition of the town is terrifying and quite tragic. Would like to quote a dialogue by Rose in the play where she admires her dead lover Collins "When we were young, we lit fires on the beach. At night. The fire shone on his face. I saw it reflected in the sea. It danced because both the flames and the water moved".

[Stephen Aberle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A remarkable play by an amazing, somewhat terrifying playwright. Written in 1973, set in 1907, timely and topical. Death, conspiracy theories (anticipating David Icke by about 20 years), “fake news”, alien invasions, class struggle, madness, attempted murder… and it’s a comedy. Shades of Chekhov.

[Salsabeel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is no comedy.

[hamda · Rating 4 out of 5]

it keeps making sense with passing time. and i'm a bit biased towards ocean imagery.

[Max · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not funny