Marie and Bruce

by Wallace Shawn

When Marie decides to leave Bruce, she delivers herself of a torrent of ferocious humor and foul-mouthed vituperation concerning him and their marriage, not to mention love, hate, caring, commitment, and all the other current clichés about relationships. As he follows Marie and Bruce through breakfast, a friend’s party, and dinner, Wallace Shawn brilliantly orchestrates her savage attacks and his slyly passive defenses into a symphony of subversive propositions about the nature of the marital state.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama, Fiction

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Wallace Shawn, sometimes credited as Wally Shawn, is an American actor and playwright. Regularly seen on film and television, where he is usually cast as a comic character actor, he has pursued a parallel career as a playwright whose work is often dark, politically charged and controversial. He is widely known for his high-pitched nasal voice and slight lisp.

Reviews

[Kunal Sen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a mesmerizing battle of 'unequals', a passive-aggressive slug-fest in psychology that covers every shade of hatred and its connotations, But think of it as a romance- because to hate someone so much, how much would you need to love them first?

Or think of it as a tragedy. Either way, it is devastating.

[Mike Gardiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Albee-adjacent marital slugfest that is foul foul foul. Marvelously impressive work from the accomplished playwright better known for voicing a green toy dinosaur.

[James Stanford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Salty for it's time, but hilarious none the less