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Four Plays of Our Time
Includes four 1950 plays selected for high school level classroom use, with notes to motivate students to read, discuss and act these plays.
The plays are:
The plays are:
- Flight into Danger (Arthur Hailey)
- I remember Mama (John van Druten)
- The Teahouse of the August Moon (John Patrick)
- An enemy of the people (Henrik Ibsen, adapted by Arthur Miller)
399 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1960
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 5, 2024
In 1960, Herman Voaden chose a 1940s and three 1950s plays and added notes to them so they could be studied and performed as high school plays.
In 2024, the plays have dated and most of them have an endearing mid century naivety that no longer seem to me to be particularly suited to today's high school students.
Arthur Hailey's Flight into Danger (1956) play about an ex-AirForce fighter pilot who is forced to land a passenger plane after the pilot, the co-pilot and many of the passengers are taken ill by food poisoning is dramatic and tense. Though it feels somewhat technologically dated, I think it could still work, were it not for the devastating and hilarious send-up it received in the movie Airplane! -if you've seen the movie it is really hard to keep a straight face reading the original play.
John van Druten's I remember Mama (1944) is a unabashed sentimental play about an extended Swedish inmigrant family with some larger than life characters, particularly the apparently terrifying and unforgettable titular head of the family, who, of course turns out to have a heart of gold and his sister the fearless, devoted wife and mother who is the real family center. One of her daughters is an aspiring and developing writer who learns to cast aside derivative overblown stuff for her family's quietly authentic and funny experiences. She is a well -known character; she may be Swedish in the play, but we've seen her type in Armenian, Jewish, Polish, Italian, Korean and Chinese inmigrant family upbeat comedies about first-generation children who are lovingly supported and protected by their families as they growing up into a dream America full of possibilities for those who are talented and work hard.
The Teahouse of the August Moon (1952) adapted from the novel to the stage by John Patrick is described, misleadingly, by the editor as having a “fairy-tale atmosphere” -it is in fact a satirical farce which pokes good-natured fun at misunderstandings between japanese villagers and the US occupation army after World War II particularly in the shape of a misfit US captain who is ordered to build a pentagon-shaped schoolhouse and induct the villagers into democracy, but who genially goes somewhat superficially native and builds a teahouse instead of the required school. It could possibly work for junior year students, since this orientalist play steers clear of real politics and serious cultural clashes. It is clearly a comedy, and all the (minor) conflicts and misunderstanding dissolve into a happy ending for all. The play reminds me of a classic Spanish satiric film, Welcome Mister Marshall (1953) where a small Spanish town decide to bedeck the town into an American stereotype of a Spanish town in the hope of receiving money from the Marshall Plan.
The best play of the four by a long shot is Arthur Miller's modern adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's classic An Enemy of the People. Miller deftly and meticulously modernizes the play without losing any of the original's critical depth. It grows in interest and pertinence, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic's surprisingly hostile and mistrustful interactions between science, political policy and decision-making, public scrutiny, media coverage, conspiracy theories, pseudo-scientific ideas, the uglier side of group-think, and intellectual lynching -for an interesting, recent and revealing background reading for the play, consider for example Philip Ball's 2021 What the COVID-19 pandemic reveals about science, policy, and society (https://royalsocietypublishing.org/do...).
Miller's adaptation of An Enemy of the People deserves a solid five-star evaluation, and depending on the reader's mood and tolerance for entertaining, breezy somewhat old-fashioned plays, the other plays are three-star plus or minus half a star material.
In 2024, the plays have dated and most of them have an endearing mid century naivety that no longer seem to me to be particularly suited to today's high school students.
Arthur Hailey's Flight into Danger (1956) play about an ex-AirForce fighter pilot who is forced to land a passenger plane after the pilot, the co-pilot and many of the passengers are taken ill by food poisoning is dramatic and tense. Though it feels somewhat technologically dated, I think it could still work, were it not for the devastating and hilarious send-up it received in the movie Airplane! -if you've seen the movie it is really hard to keep a straight face reading the original play.
John van Druten's I remember Mama (1944) is a unabashed sentimental play about an extended Swedish inmigrant family with some larger than life characters, particularly the apparently terrifying and unforgettable titular head of the family, who, of course turns out to have a heart of gold and his sister the fearless, devoted wife and mother who is the real family center. One of her daughters is an aspiring and developing writer who learns to cast aside derivative overblown stuff for her family's quietly authentic and funny experiences. She is a well -known character; she may be Swedish in the play, but we've seen her type in Armenian, Jewish, Polish, Italian, Korean and Chinese inmigrant family upbeat comedies about first-generation children who are lovingly supported and protected by their families as they growing up into a dream America full of possibilities for those who are talented and work hard.
The Teahouse of the August Moon (1952) adapted from the novel to the stage by John Patrick is described, misleadingly, by the editor as having a “fairy-tale atmosphere” -it is in fact a satirical farce which pokes good-natured fun at misunderstandings between japanese villagers and the US occupation army after World War II particularly in the shape of a misfit US captain who is ordered to build a pentagon-shaped schoolhouse and induct the villagers into democracy, but who genially goes somewhat superficially native and builds a teahouse instead of the required school. It could possibly work for junior year students, since this orientalist play steers clear of real politics and serious cultural clashes. It is clearly a comedy, and all the (minor) conflicts and misunderstanding dissolve into a happy ending for all. The play reminds me of a classic Spanish satiric film, Welcome Mister Marshall (1953) where a small Spanish town decide to bedeck the town into an American stereotype of a Spanish town in the hope of receiving money from the Marshall Plan.
The best play of the four by a long shot is Arthur Miller's modern adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's classic An Enemy of the People. Miller deftly and meticulously modernizes the play without losing any of the original's critical depth. It grows in interest and pertinence, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic's surprisingly hostile and mistrustful interactions between science, political policy and decision-making, public scrutiny, media coverage, conspiracy theories, pseudo-scientific ideas, the uglier side of group-think, and intellectual lynching -for an interesting, recent and revealing background reading for the play, consider for example Philip Ball's 2021 What the COVID-19 pandemic reveals about science, policy, and society (https://royalsocietypublishing.org/do...).
Miller's adaptation of An Enemy of the People deserves a solid five-star evaluation, and depending on the reader's mood and tolerance for entertaining, breezy somewhat old-fashioned plays, the other plays are three-star plus or minus half a star material.
March 10, 2025
“Four Plays of Our Time” (edited by Herman Voaden, 1960) is a collection and analysis of four well-known plays geared towards a high school English curriculum. The plays presented are considered significant to modern theater and well worthy of study.
“Flight Into Danger” (Arthur Hailey) is a classic tale of suspense which was extremely successful when initially televised by the CBC in 1956. Motion picture rights were acquired by Paramount which released the movie “Zero Hour!” (1957) for which Hailey wrote the screenplay. Hailey’s work inadvertently gained further cultural significance when “Zero Hour!” later became the basis for the hilarious parody film “Airplane!” (1980). Although “Flight Into Danger” is a serious work of drama, it can be difficult to mentally disentangle some of the scenes presented in the suspenseful original from their comedic counterparts in “Airplane!”
“I Remember Mama” (John Van Druten) is a thoroughly heartwarming, albeit occasionally predictable, family drama rooted in sincerity and sentimentality with focus on its matriarch, hence the title. One of its themes closely resembles that presented in O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” (1905) - the surrender of personal material possessions for the happiness of loved ones. Specifically, “Mama” trades her treasured brooch which is a family heirloom, to obtain a more contemporary and fashionable present for her daughter.
“Teahouse of the August Moon” (John Patrick) involves the confrontation of Western cultural ignorance and self-perceived superiority versus Oriental patience and wisdom. It is a subtle and gentle comedy about clashing cultural values and misunderstandings leading to eventual acceptance and harmony. “Teahouse of the August Moon” is absolutely delightful and was easily my favorite of the four plays in this book. It has somewhat of a fairy-tale quality with its ending in which everyone lives happily ever after with all wishes fulfilled. It’s lovely escapism from current dreadful world events.
“An Enemy of the People” (Henrik Ibsen, adapted by Arthur Miller) is a highly relevant drama of science denial in the face of democratic (but scientifically ignorant) societal opinion. This play deals with the social ostracism and persecution faced by a physician who discovers serious contamination in the waters supplying a health-springs and spa facility crucial to the local economy. Expert analysis of scientific evidence is denied to protect local economic interests. Simply substitute “contamination in the waters” with terms such as “anthropogenic global warming”, vaccines, masks, or COVID-19 and the current relevance of this play becomes readily and painfully apparent. I found this play disturbing to read simply because it hits too close to home in its portrayal of societal prioritization of ignorant personal opinion over analysis by subject matter experts.
“Four Plays of Our Time” is a good addition for the personal library of anyone in theater or who enjoys reading good drama. The plays within are definitely dated and can be regarded as "Four Plays of a Time Gone By" but all are still enjoyable and have varying degrees of relevancy to current affairs and our human condition.
“Flight Into Danger” (Arthur Hailey) is a classic tale of suspense which was extremely successful when initially televised by the CBC in 1956. Motion picture rights were acquired by Paramount which released the movie “Zero Hour!” (1957) for which Hailey wrote the screenplay. Hailey’s work inadvertently gained further cultural significance when “Zero Hour!” later became the basis for the hilarious parody film “Airplane!” (1980). Although “Flight Into Danger” is a serious work of drama, it can be difficult to mentally disentangle some of the scenes presented in the suspenseful original from their comedic counterparts in “Airplane!”
“I Remember Mama” (John Van Druten) is a thoroughly heartwarming, albeit occasionally predictable, family drama rooted in sincerity and sentimentality with focus on its matriarch, hence the title. One of its themes closely resembles that presented in O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” (1905) - the surrender of personal material possessions for the happiness of loved ones. Specifically, “Mama” trades her treasured brooch which is a family heirloom, to obtain a more contemporary and fashionable present for her daughter.
“Teahouse of the August Moon” (John Patrick) involves the confrontation of Western cultural ignorance and self-perceived superiority versus Oriental patience and wisdom. It is a subtle and gentle comedy about clashing cultural values and misunderstandings leading to eventual acceptance and harmony. “Teahouse of the August Moon” is absolutely delightful and was easily my favorite of the four plays in this book. It has somewhat of a fairy-tale quality with its ending in which everyone lives happily ever after with all wishes fulfilled. It’s lovely escapism from current dreadful world events.
“An Enemy of the People” (Henrik Ibsen, adapted by Arthur Miller) is a highly relevant drama of science denial in the face of democratic (but scientifically ignorant) societal opinion. This play deals with the social ostracism and persecution faced by a physician who discovers serious contamination in the waters supplying a health-springs and spa facility crucial to the local economy. Expert analysis of scientific evidence is denied to protect local economic interests. Simply substitute “contamination in the waters” with terms such as “anthropogenic global warming”, vaccines, masks, or COVID-19 and the current relevance of this play becomes readily and painfully apparent. I found this play disturbing to read simply because it hits too close to home in its portrayal of societal prioritization of ignorant personal opinion over analysis by subject matter experts.
“Four Plays of Our Time” is a good addition for the personal library of anyone in theater or who enjoys reading good drama. The plays within are definitely dated and can be regarded as "Four Plays of a Time Gone By" but all are still enjoyable and have varying degrees of relevancy to current affairs and our human condition.
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December 26, 2013Read Flight into Danger for my English class.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews