More plays read

I've continued reading plays for the last two weeks or so, and was able to pick up a big stack of great plays at a library book sale, for not that much money.

Since then, I've read:

Comic Potential - by Alan Ayckbourn

This full-length play takes place in a future where television actors are all "actoids;" robots designed to play particular character types.  For the most part, they improvise their way along with direction from a human director.  A new writer throws a wrench into things when he falls in love with one of the actoids and decides to write a new teleplay just for her.  I enjoyed this play quite a bit - it's a good bridge between 'science fiction' type writing and more mainstream theatre.  In this case, the science fiction element is robots, and their ability to be like humans.  In addition to exploring some of the philosophical aspects of that in a humorous way, it's also about the state of entertainment in the world, where everything is analyzed and compartmentalized and standardized, so that it feels like a robot could do any of the standard roles you see on the screen.

Marjorie Prime - by Jordan Harrison

A full-length play in which the characters have "Primes" or realistic, AI holograms of people who have died.  Marjorie is an 85 year old woman who's had a long, full life, and her family uses a Prime of her deceased husband to help her remember the good times.  However, as she loses her memories, and he fills them in, it's apparent that other members of her family are editing the past in a way that makes things more interesting, or less painful, etc.

I liked this one a lot.  It's science fiction, and accessible to mainstream audiences, in a way I like.  I think everyone can relate to the idea of memory loss and wishing you could forget some things and change others in your life.  

Sweat - by Lynn Nottage

This was published this year (2017) so it's about as current as it gets.  In it, Nottage explores a town in Pennsylvania that is hit heavily by economic downturn.  She looks at characters as they were in 2000, and again in 2008.  As the drama unfolds, we can see where tensions are building in the community and between the characters, and what the aftermath is, but it's not until the climax that you know the big thing that happened.  I thought this was a gripping drama, with great characters that you don't get to see very often on stage - blue-collar factory workers - shown with a lot of humanity and detail that felt very honest.

Homecoming - by Harold Pinter

This play was odd.  It does not follow a predictable path, and feels at times like Pinter is just following various gut instincts and letting the characters go in their different directions.  Reading about Pinter's writing style, this may actually be how the play was written.  I think about some of the characters and the scenes, and the absurdism that grows on the stage as things progress, and I like it but I also struggle with it.  I'll read some more Pinter and see if I can get a better handle on things.

More reviews next week.