Cellophane: Plays by Mac Wellman

by Mac Wellman, Marjorie Perloff (Foreword)

“He is James Joyce reborn as a rap artist.”—Mel Gussow, The New York Times This collection includes Albanian Softshoe , Mister Original Bugg , Cleveland , Bad Penny , Cellophane , Three Americanisms , Fnu Lnu , Girl Gone , Hypatia , The Sandalwood Box and Cat’s Paw . Written between 1983 and 1998, they showcase Wellman’s ongoing exploration of the limits of language and the consequences of humanity in the postmodern world.

Genres: Plays, Theatre

204 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Joyce of the stage is right. Wellman's control of words is boundless, but this collection was at times beyond me, especially in the experimental and highly fragmented titlular piece. 'Albanian Softshoe', 'Cleveland', 'Bad Penny', and 'Cat's Paw' are disorienting and abstract, but there's a familiar, humane (if too-smart-for-its-own-good) voice at the center at all. The plays are often tough to read, but the rhythm and humor can be found when slowed down and spoken aloud. The first act of softshoe, a hilariously weird, dark representation of suburbia was probably my favorite bit of the whole thing, though 'Bad Penny' - written to be played in a specific portion of NYC's Central Park takes the cake as an overall piece.