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You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running
Book by Anderson,R
68 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
44 people want to read
About the author
Robert Woodruff Anderson
12 books9 followersRobert Anderson (born Robert Woodruff Anderson) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and theater producer.
He is best remembered as the author of Tea and Sympathy. The play made its Broadway debut in 1953 and was made into an MGM film in 1956; both starred Deborah Kerr and John Kerr.
He is best remembered as the author of Tea and Sympathy. The play made its Broadway debut in 1953 and was made into an MGM film in 1956; both starred Deborah Kerr and John Kerr.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 7, 2008
Four one-act plays:
The Shock of Recognition (3m, 1f)
The Footsteps of Doves (2m, 2f)
I'll Be Home For Christmas (1m, 2f)
I'm Herbert (1m, 1f)
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Is it possible that I've never actually read these plays before? An old professor of mine used to talk about this so much, I felt as though I knew the plays, but once I began reading, I was hooked, and very aware that they were quite new to me.
All four of these short plays are extremely well written and would be incredibly fun to see staged. Though quite humorous, each seems to have an adult edge, making them not quite viable for the high school crowd.
Of the four, I laughed quite a bit while reading "I'm Herbert" and would like very much to see and/or direct this play.
Highly recommended reading.
The Shock of Recognition (3m, 1f)
The Footsteps of Doves (2m, 2f)
I'll Be Home For Christmas (1m, 2f)
I'm Herbert (1m, 1f)
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Is it possible that I've never actually read these plays before? An old professor of mine used to talk about this so much, I felt as though I knew the plays, but once I began reading, I was hooked, and very aware that they were quite new to me.
All four of these short plays are extremely well written and would be incredibly fun to see staged. Though quite humorous, each seems to have an adult edge, making them not quite viable for the high school crowd.
Of the four, I laughed quite a bit while reading "I'm Herbert" and would like very much to see and/or direct this play.
Highly recommended reading.
October 29, 2017
I don't read a lot of plays, but I picked that genre for my book group, so I've been mowing through them. This one made me laugh quite a bit. I made my husband read it. I have found a lot of plays that I did not appreciate because of content, but this one (although the content may seem crass) was perfect. It was done tactfully and humorously. Loved it.
June 21, 2024
A dated play script of four short acts, first performed on Broadway in 1967. My dad was in a community production of this in the early 70's and when I ran across the title recently, I thought it would be interesting to revisit it. I don't recall if I ever actually saw a performance, or just went along to a few rehearsals.
Each act has 2-4 actors, and some are (intentionally) funnier than others. The ending piece, I'm Herbert, was the least successful, at least as read now. It features an older married couple, each on their third or so marriage, in great cognitive decline, not recalling whom they are currently married to, nor who was around at other points in their lives.
The best piece, in my opinion, was the opener, The Shock of Recognition, in which a playwright is pushing to have an actor appear nude in a play. Considering what we see on television now, or even or phones, this one felt very dated, but some of the points it brings up (body shaming, self-worth, using sex to sell something) are very current issues.
A big part of the fun of reading this was looking at the lists of other plays on offer, and not recognizing more than two out of about 50. (The Transfiguration of Benno Blimpie?)
Each act has 2-4 actors, and some are (intentionally) funnier than others. The ending piece, I'm Herbert, was the least successful, at least as read now. It features an older married couple, each on their third or so marriage, in great cognitive decline, not recalling whom they are currently married to, nor who was around at other points in their lives.
The best piece, in my opinion, was the opener, The Shock of Recognition, in which a playwright is pushing to have an actor appear nude in a play. Considering what we see on television now, or even or phones, this one felt very dated, but some of the points it brings up (body shaming, self-worth, using sex to sell something) are very current issues.
A big part of the fun of reading this was looking at the lists of other plays on offer, and not recognizing more than two out of about 50. (The Transfiguration of Benno Blimpie?)
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October 18, 2024You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running: Very funny, engaging short play. Related very much to Jack about men needing to see normal, not plastic, male nudity, so they can laugh at themselves, but also feel proud to be a man. Kinda sweet, almost touching...
The Footsteps of Doves: I absolutely loved this play right up until the ending. The premise: a married couple disagreeing over whether to move from one double to two single beds is fascinating, but I was extremely disappointed that George gave up his ideal. I suppose he learns to be thankful for what he had and embrace change, but it's a bit depressing.
I'll be Home for Christmas: A frustrating conflict because Edith was right in the argument, though I agreed with Chuck that if you don't care that your spouse cheats, then it's not true love (I'm an old fashioned romantic...) I liked the set-up with the letter; initially I didn't like its payoff, but I'm beginning to realise that it was a fantastic way to bring Edith and Chuck together, and show the limits of both interventionist and laissez-faire parenting. It's a bit of plot convenience to have Chuck hold onto it for so long though.
I'm Herbert: A bittersweet vignette about the co-dependency of old couples.
The Footsteps of Doves: I absolutely loved this play right up until the ending. The premise: a married couple disagreeing over whether to move from one double to two single beds is fascinating, but I was extremely disappointed that George gave up his ideal. I suppose he learns to be thankful for what he had and embrace change, but it's a bit depressing.
I'll be Home for Christmas: A frustrating conflict because Edith was right in the argument, though I agreed with Chuck that if you don't care that your spouse cheats, then it's not true love (I'm an old fashioned romantic...) I liked the set-up with the letter; initially I didn't like its payoff, but I'm beginning to realise that it was a fantastic way to bring Edith and Chuck together, and show the limits of both interventionist and laissez-faire parenting. It's a bit of plot convenience to have Chuck hold onto it for so long though.
I'm Herbert: A bittersweet vignette about the co-dependency of old couples.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2024
I thought this was funny and profund in manageable doses. Would like to see it on stage.
November 11, 2024
A nice play about married life, if a bit dated.
July 6, 2022
A series of four short plays, presented with an intermission. Comedy, drama. Looking at life from different perspectives (new to me, anyway). The first play deals with a producer and playwright arguing over putting controversial material on stage, actions centered around the line "You know I can't hear you when the water's running". The following plays deal with potentially controversial material and topics and psychology--for 1967 anyway. It is funny, and it is intense.
July 2, 2011
These plays were really good, I would recommend "My Name is Harold" first and foremost.
June 7, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews