State Of The Union

by Russel Crouse, Russel Crouse, David Selby (Performed by)

1946 RANDOM HOUSE HARDCOVER

Genres: Plays, Drama, Fiction

Audio Cassette

First published January 1, 1946

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse's political play won the Pulitzer Prize, and it's a good play. But time has made so much of the "sausage-making" revelations about politics far more familiar than they likely were in 1946 that the play seems naïve, which it surely wasn't when new. While well-written and constructed, the play still relies on romantic-triangle tropes to carry the story along, as though the issues considered could not be presented other than in such familiar surroundings. It is well worth reading, but I would be surprised if anyone gave much consideration to producing this play anymore.

[Anna Muthalaly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yawn. Yet another Mr smith goes to Washington, everyone in power is corrupt but our plucky main character, play. We’ve seen things very similar to this awarded already with “of thee I sing” and “both your houses,” though those were both Great Depression era plays

The only intrigue this show has is that it’s set immediately post ww2, so it shows an interesting political perspective as a) the Republican Party tries to claw back any power from the behemoth that is FDR and b) everyone wonders what we’re gonna do about pesky Germany. Also, this play has an interesting focus on spanking as a form of love, so that’s something.

Crouse and Lindsay also wrote the books for anything goes and the sound of music — those are both better.

This was the 27th play I read in my quest to conquer the Pulitzer Prize for drama.

[Todd Honig · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read quite a few plays in my life, some good, some not so good. This one to me was just okay. I'm surprised it won the Pulitzer Prize. It's a superficial look at how the politics game is played in the United States . Nothing much really happens during the course of it. And when you consider that it was written during the same era as classic stories about politics like "All the King's Men" and "The Last Hurrah" it just didn't impress me all that much.

[Brian McCann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talky Pulitzer Prize winner from 1946. I was hoping that on the cusp off the 2020 election year that it would resonate more. But it really doesn’t. Unfortunately, STATE OF THE UNION is more of a period piece than a timeless classic.

[Daniel Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is the premise, love works best when one expresses one's true self...I believe this is a workable premise for today's audience. The timing of the play and the prize for Pulitzer was 1946, a year after the war, and spoke to presidential campaigning based on integrity.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring, talky and dated. Not suitable for today or for us.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this play because it won a Pulitzer Prize and I wasn't disappointed. While it did feel pretty outdated, the story itself was fast paced, and the dialogue sharp and clever. If the references were updated, I can see how it could still play to an audience today. The play is about a business leader who, after giving some impassioned and well received speeches, is talked into trying to run for president. The play follows him on a tour of speaking dates leading up to the primary elections. His mistress, a New York newspaper editor, sets him up with a campaign manager who advices him that, for appearance sake, he'll have to take his estranged wife with him on the tour. Over the course of the tour, he realizes that he isn't willing to sacrifice his beliefs in order to win political favor, and that he's better off on the sidelines, giving speeches that represent his true feelings. He and his wife are reunited by his honorable decision.

For a play written in the 1940s, I found the female characters to be impressively smart and well rounded. It almost seems as if the real main character is the candidate's wife, who falls back in love with her husband when she sees the effect he has upon the people attending his speeches. While their renunion felt somewhat obvious, it was still a clever take on politics and could feel relevant today, with a few tweaks.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

I often think of the above adage when reading political plays and novels from earlier decades. In this case, either State of the Union was vastly ahead of its time, or much of the problems we bemoan of in modern American politics are simply retreads of arguments that have been stretching on for decades, perhaps even to the founding the country.

The title is a clever play on words, tipping its hat to the both the political office in question and the marriage of the two central characters. The story itself – of a man who might be president, the mistress pushing him to the office, and the wife who is more than she seems – has some uneven moments, but I liked it. There’s a lot actors could do with the characters on stage, and that alone makes me inclined to endorse it. Recommended.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to believe that this was written in the 40's as it still seems very relevant.

[Bobby Sullivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alas, just too dated. I don't honestly see how this play could be performed in the 21st century, as written.