The Pulitzer is the biggest of the prestige awards. It sounds most exciting to people throughout the world. This year it was given to Rabbit Hole and there was much press about how that wasn't even nomination. How can something win an award it wasn't nominated for if there are in fact nominees? Well, thems the rules. My big question was not "How does that happen?" but rather "What the hell are these plays that were nominated?"
I shall share some basic info about each, as I'm sure 90% you people don't know anything about them either (though my friends Don and Billy saw one of them are very proud of that fact, so they are not in the 90%).
Orpheus X by Rinde Eckert
Had its world premiere at the American Repertory Theatre in Boston from March 25 through April 23 of last year. It's a modern reinterpretation of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. In this version, Orpheus in a famous singer. Apparently the show calls for a lot of music and video.
Bulrusher by Eisa Davis
Had its world premiere in our great city--under the auspices of Urban Stages. (I don't think I've ever seen an Urban Stages show and I admit that despite the fact that I know they have fans that probably read this blog.) The show, which ran from Mar 8-April 9, 2006, is a racial drama. It's about a girl that was found floating within a basin in a river. I'm serious.
Elliot, a Soldier's Fugue by Quiara AlegrÃa Hudes
Received its world premiere this January 2006 at The Culture Project. I gather it's about some guy who comes home from Iraq and has to come to terms with his life and the lives of family members. The young soldier's father and grandfather were also soliders. I think it's all done in monologue form, which doesn't sound so great to me, but I'm not a Pulitzer jury member.
On another note--I choose to think that no one is going to produce the Virginia Tech killer's plays, though I'm sure that is optimistic.
That's it. It's very late and I've partied too hard and I'm tired.
7 comments:
hey, love your blog. i though rabbit hole was good. pulitzer???? i don't think so.
i'm an "x" nyc theatre person (founder & artistic director of the rude mechanicals) doing a different kind of theatre these days. i'm online, and in character, doing a video show 5x a week at www.thehermitwithdavisfleetwood.com
i hope you have a chance to check it out. i'm trying to build an audience....
all the best
Can we all agree that the biggest Pulitzer travesty is Cormac McCarthy??
How is rewarding one of the greatest American writers a travesty (especially considering that he'd never won before)?
What novel would you have given it to?
I can never think of what novel should win... I mean, my favorite novel is about a kid who carries around a stuffed letter H and calls it Elliot.
As for drama, I did like Rabbit Hole. When I saw it I didn't think "this should win the Pulitzer," but then again, I haven't said that at all in recent years.
Don't understand how there were NO other plays in the 50 United States in the past 12 months to award a Pulitzer to. Frankly, I was a bit bored by RABBIT HOLE. I liked David Lindsay-Abaire better before he tried to write commercial plays.
Cara - Love your musings, but careful with the research. ELLIOT, A SOLDIER'S FUGUE was done at Steppenwolf in Chicago before coming to NY in January 06. We saw it in November 2005, although I believe it was a guest production, not an actual Steppenwolf production. Jack
They should have left the entry blank like they did in 2005-2006
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