Summer Brave

by William Inge

Again, as in , the setting is a small town in Kansas, and while the characters are essentially the same as in the earlier play, there are subtleties and differences which give SUMMER BRAVE a distinctive and unique quality of its own. Providing more acting roles and background "color," and approaching its theme with more humor and verisimilitude, the play reaches similar conclusions about the impetuosity of youth; the animal attractiveness of the unpolished young stranger who sets small town tongues wagging; and the sudden realization by the older characters that life is about to pass them by. In the end the play is a masterful blend of touching and humorous elements in which lessons are learned about growing up, going on, and accepting what a sometimes perverse fate imposes.

Genres: Plays

79 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1979

About the author

Dramas of American playwright William Motter Inge explored the expectations and fears of small-town Midwesterners; his play Picnic (1953) won a Pulitzer Prize.

Works of this novelist typically feature solitary protagonists, encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s, Broadway produced a memorable string. Inge rooted his portraits of life and settings in the heartland.

Reviews

[Mariah · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s hard being pretty. Also, all the men in this? Thank you, next.

[Drew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know why William Inge went back to "Picnic," the play that made his career. Some people are never satisfied, even by success. But adding a few characters and changing the ending does not make "Picnic" a better play. It doesn't make it a bad play, mind you, but who really wants second-best when first-rate exists? Given how much of "Summer Brave" duplicates the original, you'll be constantly questioning every line and moment in "Picnic 2.0" Was it better before? The answer is mostly yes.

[Carolyn Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inge's pet project, he rewrote "Picnic" to his own satisfaction. It's a good play, and some things I liked better than in the original--for example, Howard's muzzling of Rosemary by the time Flo came out. That made it more believable that Flo would allow Madge to remain behind with Hal. I liked how Alan was much more sympathetic and less of a rich-boy brat. And I also liked the mother-daughter confrontation better in this version... All in all, intense, realistic, and intricate emotional levels. But I needed the happy ending from Picnic and I didn't get that here. So the original wins for me. But daaaang, this (Picnic/Summer Brave) is one sexy play. *Blush*