Friday, July 1, 2011

Weekend Read: The Altruists

Nicky Silver is by far my favorite playwright. He's unique, innovative, and wild. He's characters, though sometimes larger than life, evoke a level of likeability that bring the audience into his world. My favorite of his plays is The Altruists. Sure it's hard to pick a favorite, but The Altruists has one of the funniest monologues I've ever read. Sydney has a six or so page monologue, broken up by scenelets, where she rants and raves to a body in a bed.

I would love to see someone recite the monologue without interruption. This play has some great characters and is truly the most realistic of his absurdist and satirical works.