THE STORY: Constructed with the precision of a musical composition, and described by Clive Barnes as “a chamber opera and a symbolic poem about communication,” the play juxtaposes three characters— “The Man,” “The Woman,” and “The Girl” —and sifts through the tangled relationship they have evidently shared. The Man is amiable but distant; The Woman acerbic and bitter; The Girl is perhaps mad—a catatonic who has destroyed her own child. Elliptical in form and redolent with evocative overtones, the play weaves together its strands of conversation and soliloquy into a meaningful pattern of events—underscoring the inescapable fact that while we may listen we do not always hear, and our lives, for better or worse, are shaped accordingly.
Originally conceived for radio, this resonant, hauntingly beautiful play is equally effective as a stage piece.
“There is a fantastic reverberation of words here. The beauty of Mr. Albee’s writing has never been more evident. He takes commonplace phrases and transmutes them into a different form of life, which is the entire secret of poetry.” —The New York Times.
“…A gifted, intelligent, scrupulous writer.” —Village Voice.
Included in the collection
Counting the Ways and Listening.
