I admit that I don't know much about Wilson's works. He's always been a name that comes up in books I read about theatre, and gays in the US, but that's about it aside from seeing the Kevin Bacon TV version of Lemon Sky which I love, but seems to not be well loved.
At our local Fringe festival I had a chance to see two of his earliest works as a double bill by a Vancouver company--Home Free! and The Madness of Lady Bright. I was kinda blown away. They seemed to be a hard sell--the performance I went to had about 20 people in the audience, if that. Home Free! in particular reminded me of Albee's work from around that time. I wondered what people on here thought about both plays, or his work in general, and what people would suggest I investigate next. (Home Free! got a typically lame review here by our local critic who didn't seem to understand the play at all, and was confused by every element which he took very literally).
I'm a Lanford Wilson fan and think he's an important American playwright. In my opinion, his work isn't well-known to the general public because none of his plays were adapted as films. Smith and Kraus published his collected works in three volumes plus a collection of 21 short plays. All are worth reading.
Home Free! is a creepy and strange. The Madness of Lady Bright is funny and sad.
I suggest reading the short plays Ludlow Fair and This Is The Rill Speaking. As for the full length plays read: Balm In Gilead, The Rimers of Eldritch, The Hot L Baltimore, The Mound Builders, Fifth of July, Talley's Folly, Angel's Fall, Burn This and Book of Days. The short play A Poster of the Cosmos, in my opinion, is one of the best plays about AIDS and love.
I agree with A Director. Personally, I love "The Madness of Lady Bright".
In terms of full lengthy works, I love THE RHIMERS OF ELDRITCH, HOT L BALTIMORE and FIFTH OF JULY. The only one I'm really not crazy about is BURN THIS; it made John Malkovich a star, but I found it indulgent.
Wilson is a playwright certainly worth knowing. He is one of my favorite American playwrights, with the exquisite BURN THIS at the top of my list.
I was very lucky to be a 15-year-old boy obsessed with Wilson and studying at the New York Summer School of the Arts in the Hamptons. Wilson was a friend of the program, and invited us all to his home. For those of you who don't know, the man had an exquisite English garden in his backyard. Filled to the brim with flowers and trees you've never seen before in your life. It was extraordinary.
Perhaps it was the fact that I'd read every Wilson play I could get my hands on, and my ability to speak about them, but something caused us to latch onto each other. We all had about 90 minutes of free time at the house, and Lanford and I took a long walk through the garden, talking about his extraordinary characters. He was kind enough to sign the 12 playscripts I brought with me, each and every one personalized to me. And on my night-stand is a photo of he and I taken that day. I smile every time I see it.
I will cherish the memory of that afternoon for the rest of my life.
I was devastated to hear we lost him. An incredible talent. And a wonderful man.
"I know now that theatre saved my life." - Susan Stroman
The Madness of Lady Bright was astonishing in its day, and the original production of The Hot L Baltimore was one of the most exciting theatrical events of my teenage years.
Wilson's plays are some of the very best writing of 20th century American drama. Sadly, folks aren't just reviving his works as much regionally, except TALLEY'S FOLLY. Which is sweet, but far from his finest work.
"It's now rather very common to hear people say 'I'm rather offended by that'. As if that gives them certain rights. It's actually nothing more than a whine. It has no meaning, no purpose. It has no reason to be respected as a phrase. 'I am offended by that'. Well, so f**king what?"--Stephen Fry
Balm in Gilead. Laurie Metcalf made her New York theater debut in a revival of that play in 1984 produced by Steppenwolf of Chicago and performed at the old Circle Rep in the West Village. Gary Sinise was also in the production but it was Metcalf who stole the hearts of critics and audiences alike. I remember thinking while watching her performance that this actress has big things ahead. I wasn't wrong.
I can't for the life of me remember the name of the play but it was done at Circle Rep (as were most of his plays). It was about a dysfunctional family and one of the main characters was a dead son (killed in Vietnam?) who kept commenting on the action. It was very strange.
Of course, there is THE GINGHAM DOG. Not a good play, in fact it is quite dreadful (some cringe-worthy dialogue) but is has a powerful scene (lots of emoting) between a white actor and African-American actress so it is very popular in scene study classes.
The play with the dead son commenting is Talley & Son (1985). It takes place on July 4, 1944 and is the third play in the Talley Trilogy. An earlier version is A Tale Told (1980).
The play with the dead son commenting is Talley & Son (1985). It takes place on July 4, 1944 and is the third play in the Talley Trilogy. An earlier version is A Tale Told (1980).
They did? When? It must've been before I was actually living the city...
When we were at his house, an actress/friend (whose name for the life of me I cannot remember), came and they read a two-person one-act to us. It was about a florist. I was so overwhelmed by the whole thing it's all I can remember.
"I know now that theatre saved my life." - Susan Stroman
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joined:10/31/11
Posted: 9/15/12 at 05:36pm