Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Oberon Books Ltd (2014), 96 pages
Description
It's the end of everything in contemporary America. A future without power. But what will survive? Mr Burns asks how the stories we tell make us the people we are, explodes the boundaries between pop and high culture and, when society has crumbled, imagines the future for America's most famous family. Following the phenomenal success of 1984, Almeida Associate Director Robert Icke directs Mr Burns in its European Premiere.
User reviews
LibraryThing member norabelle414
A few months after the breakdown of society, a group of survivors try to remember the plot of episodes of The Simpsons to entertain and distract themselves from the world falling apart around them and the deaths of their loved ones. Several years later, various theater troupes perform elaborate
It's a really fascinating concept, similar to Station Eleven. How will the entertainment of today affect us in a future where society has broken down? What will we remember in the first couple years and what will be eternal? In the first act there is lots of talk about what is going on in the world and where people's loved ones might be. In the second act there is a little talk of interpersonal relations. The third act is entirely Simpsons-ified.
The execution of this interesting concept in written form is a total nightmare. I'm sure it's different when seen on stage, but reading this play in a book was like reading a transcript of a poorly-spoken person trying to answer a question that they don't know the answer to. Characters speak over each other constantly and repeat the same word or phrase several times and speak entirely in long strings of sentence fragments without punctuation. This is definitely how people actually speak sometimes, but reading it on a page is deeply unpleasant. I would probably see a production of a play written by Anne Washburn, but I won't read any more.
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productions of episodes of The Simpsons, and trade half-remembered lines from them like currency. Many, many years later, humanity has devolved into nothing but a twisted, cult-like reenactment of The Simpsons, with all the plots and characters muddled together. Nelson raps a lot.It's a really fascinating concept, similar to Station Eleven. How will the entertainment of today affect us in a future where society has broken down? What will we remember in the first couple years and what will be eternal? In the first act there is lots of talk about what is going on in the world and where people's loved ones might be. In the second act there is a little talk of interpersonal relations. The third act is entirely Simpsons-ified.
The execution of this interesting concept in written form is a total nightmare. I'm sure it's different when seen on stage, but reading this play in a book was like reading a transcript of a poorly-spoken person trying to answer a question that they don't know the answer to. Characters speak over each other constantly and repeat the same word or phrase several times and speak entirely in long strings of sentence fragments without punctuation. This is definitely how people actually speak sometimes, but reading it on a page is deeply unpleasant. I would probably see a production of a play written by Anne Washburn, but I won't read any more.
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LibraryThing member caseybp
I am dying to see a good production of this play. It is a bit difficult to read. However, the concept is stellar and I think it would be fun to really pick a part. The dialogue seems very real, which makes it hard to follow. The interesting ideas that the play presents I am sure are better seen
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than read, but that is what plays are intended for, performance. Show Less
Awards
Susan Smith Blackburn Prize (Finalist — 2010-2011)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
96 p.; 5 x 0.25 inches
ISBN
1783191406 / 9781783191406