The Whale / A Bright New Boise

by Samuel D. Hunter

Acclaimed for his gentle, complex characterizations, Samuel D. Hunter's bighearted and funny plays explore the quiet desperation running through many American lives. The Whale tells the story of a six hundred-pound shut-in's last chance at redemption and of discovering beauty in the most unexpected places when he reaches out to his long-estranged—and severely unhappy—daughter. Hunter's second piece, the Obie Award-winning A Bright New Boise , is a philosophical investigation of faith and search for meaning in rural Idaho where a disgraced evangelical is forced to take a minimum-wage job at the local Hobby Lobby craft store in an effort to reunite with his estranged son.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Theatre, Book Club

209 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Justin Tate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stage directions recommend performing The Whale without intermission. Reading it, I have to agree. There are no convenient places for pause because it is compulsively engrossing from beginning to end. Mystery and impending doom are heavy among the dialogue. Brisk scenes compound intrigue, proving each character more layered than originally thought. Everyone has an agenda, a secret, plenty of baggage. Will all be resolved before the inevitable conclusion? Hunter makes you desperate to find out.

It is hard to critique anything that can keep me so thoroughly glued to the page, but it is fair to say that the characters show their age a bit. The Mormon youth and the angsty teen girl are very much a snapshot of 2012, when the play was first performed. I am curious if the new film will be set within during that time (jeez, it was only ten years ago) or if it will "modernize" it in any way. An update wouldn't take much, of course, just slight dialogue changes, I think.

Another potential downside is relying too heavily on metaphor to resolve unanswered questions. I don't need, or want, my stories tied up neatly in a bow, but... the play does seem more like a slice in time rather than a completed story. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I do feel there could be a more satisfying final dozen pages. Perhaps the film will experiment with that in a positive way.

Highly recommended! Looking forward to jumping into the next Samuel D. Hunter play included in this book, A Bright New Boise. Review coming soon...

[Louis Muñoz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pride Month 2023 Book #8: 3 stars.

I finally saw the much-acclaimed and awarded film a month or two ago, and was quite moved by it. I found out the movie was based on a play, so I checked it out from the library. The movie is pretty faithful to the source play, but at the end of the day, there was less "magic" in the play than in the movie, though I'm guessing that if I were to see the play performed, I would very much appreciate it.

This particular book actually contains TWO plays, the second one also set in Idaho, "A Bright New Boise." In some ways, I actually appreciated this play more, even though it seemed more, hmm, elliptical might be one word, but not quite right.

[Juan Carlos malik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aquí les dejo mi opinión más amplia de esta trama:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iopCd...

[марја моревна · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

really enjoyed the whale and this would have been a four star if the other play didn't leave me conflicted

overall, both interesting pieces

[Yourfiendmrjones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hunter is such a good writer. In both of these plays, his humanity sings through and pays respect to people trying to get through the day without losing a theatrical sense of wonder. Read them.

[Simone]

“And I felt saddest of all when I read the boring chapters that were only descriptions of whales, because I knew that the author was just trying to save us from his own sad story, just for a little while.”

A play I wasn’t expecting to be *this* tough in terms of subject matter; I can’t wait to watch the upcoming film directed by Aronofsky: I know Brendan Fraser and Sadie Sink will amaze me.

[Márcio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samuel D. Hunter presents us here with two of his plays which take place in Idaho. The first one, The Whale became a movie directed by Darren Aronofsky and stared by Brendan Frase with as much acclaim as it deserves. It is a hypnotic play from beginning to end about an overweight man, Charlie, who tries to make amends for his past with his daughter, a teenager with hate issues, and someone who he doesn't see since she was two and he left his wife to live with a man. In the play, we are also presented to Liz, a nurse and his best and only friend, and Elder Thomas, a Mormon young man. Charlie doesn't seem to have much time left in his life, yet he refuses to go to a hospital and take care of himself.

A Bright New Boise, as the title says, takes place in Boise, Idaho. Bill gets a job at a department store. He comes from the north of the state and he's got a goal. He also wants to make amends for his past with his son, Alex, whose maternal grandparents gave him up for adoption as a baby. The thing is Bill has issues in his recent past that may cause him and the ones around him a lot of trouble and it has to do with a Christian sect that caused the death of a young man.

Though in The Whale, the religious aspect is an important part of the play but not its main goal, the same cannot be said of A Bright New Boise. People like to point out that whenever something deals with religious issues, it is about faith. But I believe there is a huge difference between one and the other. Faith is such a very personal and deep confidence (usually in a Higher Deity) that can't just simply be acquired. It is not something you practice for life, though it might seem like it for many. This is actually dogma, that is, a fixed belief or set of beliefs that people are expected to accept without any doubts. The funny thing about A Bright New Boise is that the more Will tries to break away from official/confessional Christian sects, founding a new and nondenominational one with a group of people, the more they also create dogmas that shall be followed as so. If it were not, it wouldn't cause death among the followers or zealots as some would call them.

In any case, Hunter uses the religious beliefs of his characters in order to criticize rather than to give them shelter. It is as if the more one tries to force their vision of the world on others, as usually religious zealots of any kind like to do, the more destruction they bring rather than goodness.

As said before, The Whale takes a close look at some religious issues confronted with ordinary life, but it is not its goal. It is a very mighty play, and even if I haven't watched the movie yet, it is easy to understand its dramatic force. It is a very much recommended read.

For those who can't do with swear words and issues concerning a lot of topics widely debated today, be warned: they are all over the place. And not talking about them won't shy them away.

[Greg Talbot · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend in a monologue acting class, who has some poetry in him, recommended a play by Samuel D. Hunter called "Pocatello". I've only read it once, but it hit me as a beautiful play about people trying to make deep connections where it's not possible. Specifically Eddie, a manager at a Italian restaurant, pretty much the Olive Garden, is attempting to patch up his life by feeding his family..but the careless connections of family, and the cold reality checks of the worklife. Acerbic and witty...it also carried a ton of heart. In many ways, it reminded me of the stunning work of Annie Baker, specifically "The Flick" about the meandering employed and the search for meaningless for a trio at a local movie theater.


"The Whale" really won me over. The metaphor and groundedness of a man dealing with the weight. From his physical self-destruction to his grieving over a domino of failed relationships, it's a beautiful play with a beautifully self-correcting and self-hurting man, whose last tether to the world is a bratty and mean-spirited teenage daughter. The daughter's behavior felt a little contrived and unrealistic at times..but on the stage, it could make for some really pointed moments. At times it made me think of one of my favorite plays, Noah Haidle's "Smokefall", finding tenderness in strained relationships with children. And that space of grace where crushed expectations of what we expect of our parents meets a deeper compassion. Truly a stunning work.

"A Bright New Boise" although this one didn't do much for me reading it, the play has some really interesting perspective taking. Appearing to have been part of an extremist/radical church, a man re-enters a worldy life and attempts to connect to his son. I'm not sure if the material is potent enough...but the idea is really marvelous. My sympathy for the father Will was always on edge...as his earnestness to revelation and a fundamentalist worldview seems to eschew his ability to be the father his son needed. It's provocative..and left me more curious than cold.

Hunter is an exciting and riveting writer. I enjoy the writing for the tv show "Baskets" and am curious how much of the contributions may be his. Looking forward to reading/seeing more of his work.

[Felipe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Acho que nunca vi personagem pior construída que essa Ellie.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let’s see if I can give this book a justified review. It was short, but poignant and soul-stirring.
The story (written as a play) centers around a morbidly obese man Charlie, who is compassionate, intelligent, caring, sensitive, emotional, gay and- dying.
His final wish is to reach his daughter Ellie, who hasn’t been a part of his life since she was a toddler- although he wanted her to be. She’s now in high school, and a terror among her peers who she hates, she says.
She hates everyone. She hates her mom. She hates her fat, disgusting dying dad.
But Charlie knows he has to make her realize that she’s amazing. That she DOES care about people, and that people care about her.
He has saved a small fortune to give to her when he passes, and uses it to bribe her into spending time with him.
She learns that he is an English college professor who teaches online and has never showed his face to his students.
She is mean and cold and cruel and honestly a little hard to like or understand.
She’s failing all of her classes and in danger of not graduating. So he promises to help her and even says he will write her essays for her.
We meet Liz, who is a friend of Charlie’s and has begged him to get help although he refuses.
And a Mormon boy on a mission who wants to help anyone, everyone, or even JUST one. But he may be in need of help himself.
The length of the book really makes an impact on the powerful dynamic between each character and the way they are woven together in the end was so beautiful, I bawled.
The metaphor of Moby Dick, Ellie’s essay, the way Charlie let himself become so dangerously big. A whale.
By the end you realize how much depth and layers of emotions Ellie had all along.
Still crying. I’ll never get over it.

[Brynhild Svanhvit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reseña de The Whale.

Moscú (Idaho), Estados Unidos, época actual. Charlie es un obeso mórbido que vive en un apartamento atiborrado de basura del que no ha salido en varios años, trabaja como profesor de literatura dando clases a distancia, y en su tiempo libre se solaza con porno gay. Hace unos doce o quince años tenía una mujer y una niña pequeña a las que abandonó para irse a vivir con uno de sus estudiantes, Alan, el cual murió unos años después. Desde entonces vive solo: aunque ha estado pagando sin interrupción a su exesposa para la crianza de la niña, ha perdido el contacto con las dos, y solo recibe visitas de Liz, la hermana de Alan. Aparentemente, no tiene otros familiares ni amigos, y debido a su peso dejó de impartir clases presenciales para darlas a través de internet. Charlie es consciente de que le queda poco de vida por los graves problemas circulatorios y respiratorios que le causa su obesidad, e intenta recuperar la relación con su hija Ellie, una adolescente perversa y llena de odio que llega a cualquier extremo con tal de hacer daño a cualquiera que se cruce con ella.

Solo con esto, la obra ya tendría cierto interés, por ver cómo Charlie, que tiene idealizada a una niña a la que vio por última vez hace unos ocho años, se encuentra con que es una persona mezquina y miserable, y aun así intenta "salvarla", y redimirse al mismo tiempo de haberla dejado de lado durante tanto tiempo. Los esfuerzos de Charlie por reconciliarse con Ellie son cuestionables (tuvo la custodia compartida hasta que la niña tuvo unos nueve años, y después renunció a ella), pero por su parte Ellie es odiosa, un ser humano repulsivo. No ha tenido nunca un hogar estructurado ni unos buenos modelos de conducta - además de casi no haber conocido a su padre, su madre es alcohólica - pero eso no justifica que haga cualquier cosa para ver sufrir a los demás, y que el propio Charlie aliente ese comportamiento pagándole miles de dólares a cambio de su compañía, porque cree que en las pocas semanas que le quedan de vida puede recuperar el espíritu bondadoso e inocente de la niña a la que abandonó.

Hay una segunda trama, relacionada con la muerte de Alan, que implica a Thomas, un joven misionero mormón que pasa a predicar por el apartamento de Charlie y va volviendo más veces, cuando el propio Charlie se lo pide. Sucede que Alan y Liz se criaron en una comunidad mormona y renunciaron a su religión cuando se independizaron, pero, unas semanas antes de morir, y estando enfermo de gripe, Alan aceptó ir a escuchar un sermón de su padre. Volvió de la iglesia pálido y silencioso, casi catatónico, y no volvió a tomar medicamentos para la gripe ni a comer, hasta que la gripe se convirtió en neumonía y murió a causa de ella, o de inanición. Charlie cree que, usando sus contactos en la comunidad mormona, Thomas puede enterarse de cuál fue el sermón aquel día que pudo afectar tanto a Alan para que se dejara morir de hambre.

Y esta es la parte confusa de la obra. Tal como lo cuentan, sin dar apenas detalles, parece que Alan accedió a los ruegos de su padre para escuchar uno de sus sermones por última vez, volvió trastornado, dejó de comer, de asearse, de dormir y de medicarse, la gripe derivó en neumonía, y por lo visto ni su pareja Charlie ni su hermana Liz hicieron nada para que se repusiera. Ni ingresarlo en hospital (que parece lo más inmediato), ni hacer que recibiera terapia, nada. Mencionan en un par de ocasiones que "le llevaban comida, y él decía que se la comía, pero en realidad la tiraba". Alan y Charlie estaban cohabitando en aquel entonces, ¿cómo es que Charlie veía día a día cómo el joven se iba muriendo, y no hacía más que "llevarle comida" sin llamar a un médico o a una ambulancia?

Por otra parte, en el momento en que se desarrolla la obra han pasado diez años de la muerte de Alan, y hay indicios de que Charlie ha decidido matarse lentamente a base de comida como en un "homenaje" a él, suicidándose de manera inversa. Pero, ¿cómo no se le ocurre investigar qué dijo el padre de Alan en el sermón hasta que, años después, y por pura casualidad, llama un mormón a su puerta? ¿No se le ha ocurrido nunca que Liz, aunque también abandonó la religión de su familia, tendría más fácil el contactar con su padre y preguntarle qué pasó en ese sermón?

El personaje de Liz, para mí, es incomprensible. Es una enfermera que por lo visto no hizo nada para evitar la muerte de su hermano, y que por lo que se ve en la obra, tampoco hace nada para evitar la de Charlie. De vez en cuando le toma la tensión y le insiste en que vaya al hospital, pero también le trae bolsas y bolsas de comida basura. Cierto que el negarse a facilitarle esa comida no cambiaría mucho las cosas, ya que Charlie la pide a domicilio y se la dejan en la puerta, pero resulta hipócrita que se enfade con él por no ir al hospital, al tiempo que le prácticamente le inyecta grasa en las arterias. Trata con crueldad a Thomas porque odia el mormonismo en el que se crió y está convencida, como Charlie, de que Alan se dejó morir por algo que le dijo su padre en el sermón y le hizo sentir desgraciado o culpable, pero tampoco se menciona en ningún momento que ella fuera a buscar a sus padres e intentara reconciliarlos viendo que su hermano se moría. Toda la parte de Alan y su familia, en general, es poco verosímil.

Como texto teatral, tiene pocos detalles y parece darse prisa en terminarse (el propio autor indica en las acotaciones iniciales que la puesta en escena, a todo tirar, dura unos cuarenta y cinco minutos). Supongo que una representación bien montada o la película que se estrena este año pueden suplir las carencias del texto "desnudo" y hacerlo más cercano. Pero tal como la he leído, es una historia grotesca sobre un hombre que ha arruinado su vida de forma continua y deliberada, y ya cerca de la muerte intenta que su fracaso suene trágico y poético, cuando desde fuera parece bastante vulgar.

[b · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not connect with The Whale as much as I anticipated, but it was moving. The focal point is about the relationship between Charlie and Ellie. I felt like Hunter delivered an emotional intensity and depth that was interpersonal between all of the characters, and intrapersonal within all of the characters. He created a stirring development that sensibly incorporated Liz, Thomas, and Samantha. Throughout the story, I kept expecting more depth, but I think I had dramatic expectations. The ending saved this feeling, but I did not feel a great astonishment and fascination as I did to books I loved. So I'd say I liked this play. Knowing about the movie and its plot beforehand certainly did not help to eliminate expectations and sustain surprise, but I digress. On the contrary, I knew nothing about A Bright New Boise other than it was probably related to religion from the looks of it. Since I had nothing to expect, I experienced the story, organically.

I enjoyed A Bright New Boise. I felt that the father-son bond kept me on my toes. All the characters are not perfect, but they mostly felt real. After reading, I saw a review that mentioned the female characters were a bit shallow. In all honesty, I agree. But I also feel that, for the sake of the story and its theme of faith in the 21st century, they play a perfect part to the conflict between Alex and Will, and those two characters' respective internal turmoil's and beliefs. I like this play more than the other one.

I think what fascinates me most throughout this entire two play collection, is A Bright New Boise’s characters and their motives. Although having panic attacks is more normalized than it was back then, I think there is a sincere melancholy and confusion of life from Alex. He is a young man - but not yet a man - who is just lost in life and troubled by the religion and emptiness he sees around him. Anna is another character who is troubled by forceful religion, but is aimless in a more subtle sense. I began to wonder, although faith leads Will and his impact on others, do any of these characters have dreams? Alex seemed led on to pursue music professionally by Leroy, but one of his struggles is that he hasn’t carved out a path for himself. Will - at the end of the story, I still couldn’t tell you about his past other than the religious part. Anna used to be a telemarketer, but hated it. Pauline is comparatively shallow, and her biggest priority was keeping the store in the green. Leroy is the closest thing in the play to have an inkling of dream, but his attempt at art seems like a joke today. May have been deep 12 years ago. At first, I wondered if it was supposed to be ironic, or a joke. Gradually, I was touched at the sincerity and earnestness of both Leroy and Alex’s arts.
Regardless, this book compels me to read more from Samuel Hunter, at least.

[Trai · Rating 1 out of 5]

(book cws: fatphobia and shaming, homophobia, repeated and gratuitous use of the r-slur, religious fanaticism that leads to deaths)

The Whale is the source text for the upcoming Aronofsky movie starring Brendan Fraser as a 600-lb. gay man trying to connect with his estranged daughter. I have absolutely no intention of seeing the film; it strikes me as gross and exploitative to leverage these concepts for awards bait. The playwright is gay and my library had this ebook, so I figured I'd read the play to see if I could see any reason for bringing this story to a wider audience.

And guess what, there isn't one, and I fucking hated it. It was every garbage fat and queer suffering trope you could imagine stuffed into eighty pages. Charlie is dying, and his teenage daughter only agrees to reconnect with him so she'll get the $120k he offers her, and his daughter is such a disgusting and unlikable human being that her own mother freely calls her evil. I guess we're supposed to feel sorry for Charlie, to view his slow death and squirreling away all his money for his daughter's future as noble and right, but she was such a vile and unpleasant character, and there was almost no authentic emotion in the entire play. Some of the stuff about Charlie having lost his partner was fine, and the ex-wife character was a welcome note of realism in a story I seriously disliked. But holy shit, I could not stand this story. It was worse than I even imagined from the press I glimpsed about the film.

A Bright New Boise is about a disgraced religious zealot taking a job at Hobby Lobby in order to connect with the son his ex-girlfriend's parents gave up for adoption. When I read the summary I assumed a gay playwright would have something to say about Hobby Lobby as a corporation, and nope, nothing. Hunter clearly does care about the harm religious zealotry can do; it's a strong theme in both plays, and these characters weren't nearly as unlikable or unrealistic as The Whale's. But I guess neither story felt like it had anything new to say.

For the love of god, don't go see The Whale.

[Carol Arap · Rating 4 out of 5]

i had already read The Whale, before the movie even was made because of a mentor who said I would be very good for the role of the daughter. At the time I had a really hard time getting through the play, it was too much. Now upon re-reading I think it’s really incredible, and so damn painful. I’m glad I revisited it.

Brand New Boise I didn’t know anything about, and it made a lot of sense in junction with the other play, you can really see what Samuel D Hunter keeps trying to get at.

I think they’re very interesting explorations of humanity in very extreme (and yet somehow simultaneously incredibly mundane) states. Most of all I find his relationship with faith and religion really intriguing. I don’t know much about his personal religious background, but his characters varying relationships to religion really stands out to me.

Ultimately these are both great and challenging plays!

[Translator Monkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four and a half stars. These were very quick reads, and chock full of amazing writing. Very much paired together for a reason, a lot of similar themes, but presented in a broadly different manner. I must admit to enjoying 'The Whale' (5 stars) quite a bit more than 'A Bright New Boise' (4 stars), I think primarily for the (to my mind) lack of resolution in the final scene of the latter. There's nothing wrong with loose threads - they can serve an immediate or smoldering purpose, depending on the author's intent, but in this case I felt all of the characters really deserved more.

It's been some time since I last read a playwright's character development be so strong as to emotionally invest me in every one of the characters in his or her plays. This is definitely the case with Hunter's work. I look forward to devouring anything else from his pen that I can get my hands on.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both these plays were really heavy handed when it comes to their criticism of Christianity. I think this will resonate with a lot of people -- the end times cult shit, the fear of eternal hellfire, nightmares about the rapture -- all of that, but I'm just really, really tired of it. Surprisingly, the 2022 adaptation of The Whale sort of mixed these two plays together in a strange way that worked quite well on film but separately these plays are just a little bit too over-the-top thematically.

I definitely preferred A Bright New Boise. I was a messed up teenager just like Alex who struggled with the meaning of meaning, and as a former retail worker, the Hobby Lobby setting was brilliant.

Overall, though, you should probably save yourself the $15 I spent on this book and just watch Aronofsky film.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was our most recent book club text as we explore the genre of drama this month. Having just come off of intense focus of Gothic literature, this work provided a contrast to those gothic elements from the month. I can't wait to discuss this work in a few weeks!

I appreciate the surprises and twists in the play as well as the commentary on the Mormonism, education, family, healthcare, and the road to recovery. The title of "The Whale" also connects and emerges in different ways through the text being able to be read through a literary lens to Biblical lens; meaning can be established in the process.

I am interested in watching the Oscar nominated film to see how the two compare.

[Nicolette Hummel · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a play that hits very close to home for me The Whale earned 4 ⭐️ however I can admit this is completely coming from my biased perspective. This bias helps me ignore the fact that most of these characters are incredibly one dimensional which could be an offering for the actor, expecting them to give this character personality and perspective. Or it could just be lazy writing. I am inclined to believe it was the latter after reading a bright new Boise. Hunter comes up with thought provoking concepts that seem to come right out of our world, but he neglects his characters. He leaves them emotionally ignorant and both of these plays lack objectives for any of the characters, most importantly leaving them without any change whatsoever. Bright New Boise 2 ⭐️. Overall 3⭐️

[Aaron Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

These two plays are mostly just realism. They're also both – weirdly – about the same topics: that is, a man who is a fuck-up trying to reconnect with his teenage child whom he has abandoned; that same man's relationship with religion and the gods; and that same man's complete and total faith that the world in his own imagination is more real and more true than the world in which we live.

I wish these plays were more theatrical, but both The Whale and A Bright New Boise are more or less just very talky family dramas. Boise has a very nice theatrical sequence at the very end, but otherwise... I was fairly bored.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved how this was originally written as a play because I can see so many uses of metaphor, symbolism, and other literary plot elements sprinkled through the pages. I absolutely loved this read, but it absolutely broke my heart! It is an amazing example of how any type of heartbreak, tragedy, and/or grief can have a stronghold over someone else's life. To be honest, reading both the play and watching the movie have made me seriously take better care of myself, especially making me afraid of junk food. When I'm stressed, I "stress" or "emotional(ly) eat," and all I can think is "my gosh, that could be me." Poor Charlie!

[Jack Myatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This play was gripping, emotional, and punchy. While I wanted to put it down and go to bed, I had to keep going to see how this voyage would end. My only critique is that due to the condensed nature of the plot, taking place over one week, a few plot points feel shoe-horned and rushed. This detail, however, is easily overlooked by the beautiful twists and turns, the exchanges between characters, and the great stage directions that allow you to fully engross yourself in the story.

Overall, The Whale is a beautifully written, emotive work that is just as good as the film that was made from it.

[Greg Kerestan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samuel D. Hunter's two plays here are almost two sides of the same coin: they both focus on estranged fathers, mentally ill teens, hopelessness in small-town America and the corrosive effect of evangelical Christianity. With that in mind, it's amazing that these two plays are as different as they are: there's a vast divide between the bleak tragicomedy of a lonely man's demise in "The Whale" and the workplace comedy meets slow unfurling mystery of "A Bright New Boise." Strongly recommended for fans of the best new theatre.

[BonGard · Rating 5 out of 5]

بعد از دو بار دیدن فیلم پشت سر هم دلم میخاست که حتمن بعد از مدت ها به نمایش‌خانی بازگردم چون اکثر مواقع خاندن نمایشنامه برایم جذابتر از دیدن تئاتر بوده اما به جز اینکه تفاوت‌های کوچک نمایش‌نامه و فیلم برایم جالب شد (مورمن‌ها و ارجاع مذهبی به وال) هنوز احساس میکنم سم هانتر توانسته اقتباسی عجیب بکند بشکلی داستانی همچو موبی دیک را در جهان یک خانه بسازد و با استعاره‌های ادبی تا جایی که می‌تواند بازی کند . . . می‌دانم صحنه آخر برای مخاطبان می‌تواند سانتیمانتال تلقی شود اما این صحنه به واسطه آنچه که در طول نمایش شکل میگیرد اشک‌هایی را بدست می‌آورد که لیاقتشان را داشته

[Sparrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 stars for The Whale
I wanted to read this after seeing the movie. An excellent read. So many layers of meaning and metaphor. Painful and beautiful.

3 star for A Bright New Boise
An engaging and crisply written play. Also devastating and quite the thinker. I wonder what's with Hunter's need to write about damaged relationships between fathers and their children.

Side note: my favourite quote of this play:
"Will: Because without God, then all I am is a terrible father who works at a Hobby Lobby and lives in his car. There are -- greater things in life. There have to be."

[Jacob Holt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this collection of two plays for the first one in the publication, The Whale. I had previously seen the film adaptation, and I loved the original script. The second play, A Bright New Boise, was just an added bonus, but I enjoyed that one as well. These plays highlight thematic topics like religious trauma, restlessness, lgbtq issues, and identity. I wanted more closure in the final scene of each play, but C’est la vie.

[Darkestar · Rating 4 out of 5]

You initially think these two plays are put together randomly, but they're not. There are a lot of overlapping themes, makes you guess Hunter has experienced a thing or two about estranged relatives, loneliness, lost loves, guilty feelings and religious ideologies and obsessions.

Both are beautifully written, deeply exploring human psyche and the modern social and existential dilemmas.

Hunter makes you feel how much the relationships can be comforting as well as agonising.

[Scott Vandrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nationally produced play from 2012, Hunter’s “The Whale” tells the story of Charlie, a 600-pound shut-in who teaches online writing to the invisible masses. The play follows a week in his life as tales about family, loss and regrets emerge, fully formed and unresolved. Like the wave metaphor which frames it, this play feels enteral and unfinished.

[Blane · Rating 3 out of 5]

The character of Charlie is the obvious understated centerpiece of this otherwise dreary (& occasionally funny) familial drama. I am curious to see what Brendan Fraser does with it in the filmed version, since his best performances ('Gods & Monsters' from 1998 & 'Crash' from 2004) have focused on subtlety and the search for...something.

[Courtney Bagby · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Whale. Wow. I was not just moved, I was jerked into the overwhelming emotion and beauty and devastation. I hope to see this on stage one day and I will definitely read this a thousand more times I’m sure.

[joaqui. · Rating 3 out of 5]

"These assignments—they don’t matter. This course doesn’t matter. College doesn’t matter. These beautiful, honest things you wrote—they matter."



adapted film:
the whale (2022) dir. Darren Aronofsky.