Third

by Wendy Wasserstein

His name is Woodson Bull III, but you can call him "Third." And Professor Laurie Jameson is disinclined to like his jockish, jingoistic attitude. He is, as she puts it, "a walking red state." Believing that Third's sophisticated essay on King Lear could not possibly have been written by such a specimen, Professor Jameson reports his plagiarism to the college's Committee of Academic Standards. But is Jameson's accusation justified? Or is she casting Third as the villain in her own struggle with her relationships, her age and the increasingly polarized political environment?

Genres: Plays, Drama

72 pages, Paperback

First published November 11, 2008

About the author

Wendy Wasserstein was an award-winning American playwright and an Andrew Dickson White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University. She was the recipient of the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Reviews

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the highlights of my 2020 reading year that has mainly featured rereads of old favorites and Agatha Christie mysteries is discovering lesser known plays of Wendy Wasserstein. This gem is less than fifty pages in length but packs a punch. A middle aged literature professor struggling with moving onto the third phase of her life encounters a brilliant student and proceeds to subject him to reverse sex discrimination. Woodson Bull III or Third is white, male, privileged, and Republican. Laurie Jameson resents this and makes it well known that he isn’t welcome at her liberal arts college. Wendy Wasserstein had a lens toward the future in writing this play. No one should be discriminated against, not even white males. In this short examination of categorizing people and which categories they fall into, Wasserstein has written yet another gem which is sure to generate much discussion in today’s society.

4+ stars

[Grace Leneghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intelligent - for some reason that's the word that comes to mind to describe this play. Wasserstein is very much a feminist who carefully constructs her plays to reflect those ideals and even comments on them in a critical way.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would put three stars but that just feels too high. Reading the play felt like getting hit across the head over and over with the same message of "don't judge others", and the character of Laurie was too unlikable to get behind.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though Wendy Wasserstein's final play, "Third", is further proof of the theory that all playwrights write the same play over and over again, I thought it was structurally tight and one of her most satisfying plays.

[Jennifer Creador · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look into the prejudice found between educators and students and how that prejudice can change someone.

[Anne Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a brave last play and an honest look at how bias infiltrates our lives if we don't challenge ourselves. Third is a great role.

[Angelique · Rating 3 out of 5]

In typical Wasserstein fashion, the drama suffers for the message. I felt like it didn't really say anything, but was vaguely humorous and had good characters.

[Autumn]

I was in a constant mix if I either loved it or hated it.