The Author's Voice

by Richard Greenberg

Genres: Plays, Drama

72 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Richard Greenberg was an American playwright and television writer known for his subversively humorous depictions of middle-class American life. He had more than 25 plays premiere on Broadway, off-Broadway, and off-off-Broadway in New York City and eight at the South Coast Repertory Theatre in Costa Mesa, California, including The Violet Hour, Everett Beekin, and Hurrah at Last. Greenberg is perhaps best known for his 2002 play Take Me Out.

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

As one can tell by the description, this short one act is a modern day variation on Cyrano, and it is pretty much just a trifle, tossed off for a short play festival. Although the original cast certainly is impressive (Patricia Clarkson, Kevin Bacon and David Hyde Pierce), and probably got as much nuance out of this as possible, it has aged badly and doubt it's produced much.

[Emily]

“The world outside might be a painful place but every place is a painful one, so why not?”

“Make me famous, Gene. I want to be famous. People will photograph me and write about me. I'll study how they see me and live inside it. It'll be like a home.”

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

One man provides a face while the other provides the voice. The face is handsome and dull but means well; the voice is a Quasi motto-esque hunchback who is a brilliantly talented writer but is kinda a dick. Their editor has only met the face and doesn't know the other exists.

This short play is actually a rather decent one, though not brilliant. Greenberg is great at expressing his characters through not just what they say but simply how they speak. What is nice about this play is that the most well-meaning character is actually the one who, in most cases, is the one who would normally be presented as a vapid souless man. Here, though his is still a shell, he hates the fact there is nothing going on inside him. The writer yearns and lusts, but disgustingly so, not tragically beautifully. You kind of see the conclusion is inevitable, but it was still a good journey.

a side note: read this play and then read Three Days of Rain (a play Greenberg wrote after this one). Different but very very similar in some interesting ways

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]