I've seen, luckily or unluckily, the 25 plays on the NYT list. A great colleague who ran a major European repertory theatre for many years once tolde me that he considered a great play to be one that was produced by theatres all over the world. Like ANGELS IN AMERICA. Every country had good plays, that only they perform, but these should not be confused with gIreat plays - like ANGELS, DEATH OF A SALESMAN, etc.
ANGELS is a great, sprawling, messy play, produced all over the world, turned into an opera. Is there a play on this eclectic, politically correct NY Times list that is even close to being in this class? RUINED and THREE TALL WOMEN for sure.
THE WOLVES? CHAD DEITY? Really? The former was a terrific kinetic production of an ok play. The latter - well the less said the better.
If these are the best 25 AMERICAN plays since ANGELS, then I worry for Americal playwriting. |