In Stretching My Mind, Edward Albee comments on The Goat: “You may, of course, have received the misleading information that the play is about bestiality—more con than pro. [25] Albee, Charlie Rose Interview. Refresh and try again. In an interview, David Esbjornson, director of the play’s New York run, commented, “there is a kind of normalcy that we are trying to achieve, and a feeling that these people are surrounded by good taste and good art. Suffice it to say we read a fair number of plays. [23]  Whereas Martin acts more as a tragic hero, Ross, on the other hand, takes the place of the chorus “representing the vox populi and of setting the wheels of tragedy in motion.”[24]. "The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?" Print. arrived with expectations already highly uncertain. By Edward Albee Directed by Eric Hill “… who, I am mortified to tell you, is a goat.” One thing you never want to do is really annoy the love of your life—it invariably leads to anger, violence and, worse, revenge. Then, as he begins to describe how satisfying his marriage to Stevie has been—so much so that he has never had a desire to have an affair—Martin begins providing details of his encounter with Sylvia. We were exhausted coming out … this is almost a farce to Peter Shaffer's, This is not really about a guy who fucks a goat (not that it couldn't be, but that only scratches the surface.) Are you having a difficult time reading these days? centers around Martin, a middle-aged architect at the peak of his fame, whose life is thrown into complete turmoil when he reveals to his best friend that he has fallen in love, spiritually and physically, with a goat named Sylvia. Learn So, yes, I hate this play. Although Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? [29] Gainor 209-210. In Occupant (2001), Albee imagines the sculptor Louise Nevelson being interviewed after her death. 47. by Interrobang Theatre Project continues through October 6 at Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge Ave. Tickets are $32 for performances Thursday-Sunday. Ross and Martin spar over Ross’s letter and how Martin’s public image can be saved from this incident. The play concerns the main character, Martin, a successful architect, fucking a goat. Some might say that Albee goes too far with this one, I would say that he hits the mark perfectly. Highly recommended, because it was insanely well done and the incredibly dark, difficult subject matter was handled with grace, empathy, and sophistication, but it is not light reading. The shocking revelation leaves the Gray’s perfect family life in tatters, as his wife, Stevie, and son, Billy, struggle to understand his secret and come to terms with … The present. The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? [10] Albee, The Goat or Who Is Sylvia? The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, a full-length play written by Edward Albee, premiered on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre on March 10, 2002 where it ran for 309 performances. Dir. I can only imagine how dramatic and spectacular it would be to see this as a performance. [30] Gainor 212-213. If so, you're not alone. was on hiatus Sept. 2-12, 2002. This was a cool play. It's great. Please consider supporting Third Coast Review’s arts and culture coverage by becoming a patron. This play is well written and worth a quick read, but really I just found it okay. [6] Albee, The Goat or Who Is Sylvia? Does Albee provide any answers? Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Although Albee is undoubtedly America's most vicious playwright (and the play has a quality of baiting the audience who will come to any play with Albee's name on it, regardless of how offensive it appears to be) his choice of a. by Harry N. Abrams. [18] Zinman 141. [16] Albee, Charlie Rose Interview. Definitely rated NC 17. Albee also expanded The… (Original, Play, Drama, Broadway) opened in New York City Mar 10, 2002 and played through Dec 15, 2002. [7] Albee, The Goat or Who Is Sylvia? In a deeper sense, the goat is a metaphor for any unutterable desire or act that once revealed is met with repulsion, castigation, condemnation and expulsion. This Modern Classics edition features a new introduction by Toby Zinman. Nominations: Pulitzer Prize for Drama, 2003. We’d love your help. Tony Award for Best Play, 2002. (a 2002 Tony Award winner for Best Play) places the audience in the jury box. There are notes of humor throughout the whole thing, and I loved how even in the middle of violent, emotional fights Martin and Stevie take the time to comment on metaphors and congratulate each other on witty comments. This work played a fundamental role my choice to leave graduate school while I was studying theatrical design. The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? Selected monologues from The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? If you want to experience something brave, daring and edgy please read this. “In some ways the laughter is seductive; it opens you up, and then the more serious issues can flow in,” says Esbjornson. The accused are Martin, his wife Stevie and their gay teen-aged son Billy. This book isn't about just bestiality it's more about the arbitrary delineations of morality and what qualifies as human or subhuman behavior. I mean, the entire premise is a bit absurd--a man and a goat fall in love at first sight--but then there are the issues of incomplete and missed communication, the different levels of ethical discourse, and so on. [12] Albee, Stretching My Mind 259. Then, with a sound at the door, Stevie reappears, dragging Sylvia’s carcass with her. 1 August 2013. We see that the personal is political, yes, but also something more: that what is private about our lives only comes to have meaning as we enter the public sphere and this public sphere enters us.”[31]  Ultimately, as Robinson states, The Goat is meant to affect both the micro and macro levels of society in a way that encourages progressive thinking even in uncertain times. Every week, we meet, eat pizza and talk about the play we just read that week. Let's not mince words: a man having an affair with a goat. In 2002, a new play by Edward Albee appeared on Broadway for the first time since 1986. Of all the plays we've read so far this year, I think my favorite play must be this one. The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? A shocking play about marital infidelity and the devastation of a family. Who, or what, has been betrayed? This play is a sort of short Lolita in the barnyard, I can empathize with most of the characters in the play though Ross is pretty much despicable. Or maybe what defines sexual deviance anymore. [22] Zinman 148. I'm still in a state of shock. A challenging subject. The play was a finalist for the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. The premise of the club is to get free pizza and free plays. Martin confides to Ross that while searching for a place in the country for Stevie and himself, he saw her: “I didn’t know what it was—what I was feeling. New York: Overlook, 2000. The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? Apply for Rights. How I cannot deny it because I cannot admit it!? The British certainly like their adultery plays, as Peter Nichols, Tom Stoppard and Michael Frayn, among many others, could tell you, and they're also famous for adoring animals. *Spoilers ahead* (I see that this is how people protect their reviews from fake outrage. I mean, the entire premise is a bit absurd--a man and a goat fall in love at first sight--but then there are the issues of incomplete and missed communication, the different levels of ethical discourse, and so on. [1] Albee, The Goat or Who Is Sylvia? "The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?" If you have some sort of categorical imperative concerning the morality of bestiality then just skip this book. Stevie is written with refreshing nuance. Stretching My Mind. "The Goat" tackles questions and themes that our society kills itself to ignore. Neither Martin nor Billy know where Stevie has gone, but they use their alone time to try and repair their damaged relationship. Gainor, J. Ellen. The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? In her absence, Martin remarks, “You try to tell them; you try to be honest. Even the set he and John Arnone collaborated on had columns to provide a “classical quality to it, a Greek-tragedy quality.”[21]  Zinman states, “In ancient Greek tragedy, the hero, at the height of his happiness, often complacent in his smooth fortunate life, undergoes a sudden reversal of fortunes.”[22]  Indeed, once Martin confesses his affair to Ross, his fate is no longer his own. I became more and more disgusted with the educational system and the self-praising nonsensical people within its echo chamber. It's highly, highly recommended, as long as you know what you're getting in to. synopsis Scene one. They complemented each other so well. "The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?" Although it might be easy to make a play like this more about what happens than an actual, realistic story about people, Albee manages to give Martin and Stevie distinct characters, and the fact that they are so realistically human is part of what makes the whole thing so upsetting and so fantastic. Tragicomic for sure. Mildly amusing, a little bit crazy and quite offensive. I read the whole play in approximately an hour sitting on the couch in a trance. A late middle aged man at the top of his career, in the bosom of his perfect family, on the eve of his birthday, decides to confess to his best friend that he is having a love affair with a certain Sylvia. The play concerns the main character, Martin, a successful architect, fucking a goat. An exploration of the limits of modern, upper-middle-class, liberal tolerance. —. The Goat is its tragic counterpart, and every bit as uncomfortable as its author intended. [24] Gainor 211. This book isn't about just bestiality it's more about the arbitrary delineations of morality and what qualifies as human or subhuman behavior. How it cannot be dealt with-how stop and forgiveness have nothing to do with it? Perhaps my hatred of it is irrational and related to the surrounding events. They laugh at you,” suggesting that there is more to his seemingly offhand comment.[2]. Although Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? When it was revealed to the audience that the object of the main character's affections and cause of his marital infidelity is ...a goat, Edward Albee is a wickedly clever and emotionally wrought writer (no other playwright brings to mind such a strong connection to Nietzsche's conception of the theater as bringing the viewer to the inebriated and dark and raw Dionysian aspect of existence.) This is a mirror of Martin's journey, for it is only after the awful revelation that the door to redemption opens. Who defines normal? Suffice it to say we read a fair number of plays. This too will infuriate the prudes. If you have some sort of categorical imperative concerning the morality of bestiality then just skip this book. However, I never liked it. While Billy still cannot accept his father’s affair, he admits that he has always felt that his parents are “as good as they come…smart, and fair, and…a sense of humor.”[8]  Overwhelmed with a sense of loss and love for his father, Billy embraces Martin and kisses him sexually on the mouth. Highly recommended, because it was insanely well done and the incredibly dark, difficult subject matter was handled with grace, empathy, and sophistication, but it is not light reading. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2005. (a 2002 Tony Award winner for Best Play) places the audience in the jury box. As Stevie labors over the details of Ross’s letter, Martin continues to insist that he loves Stevie. Through 10/6: Thu-Fri 8 PM, Sat 3 and 8 PM, Sun 3 PM, Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge, 312-219-4140, interrobangtheatreproject.com , $32, $16 student. The characters were weaved so intricately and beautifully. Start by marking “The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?” as Want to Read: Error rating book. 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