a Meta-Melodrama
“That’s the problem with these old-fashioned plays. They work. They may be formulaic, manipulative, heavy-handed, and sentimental, but they work. Audiences are swept along by them. They laugh. They cry. Those plays give audiences just the thrills they want to have; it’s like … like going down the rapids in a canoe. Audiences love them. And I have a confession to make: I love them too. They make me laugh. They make me cry. I love riding the rapids. That’s why I hate them so much.”
2m, 2f
available for production
About the play:
In 1858 New Orleans, theatre manager and playwright George Washington Lazarus has two problems on his hands, and both of them involve trial scenes: an actor in his own company has chosen to play Shylock for a benefit performance; and his trial for first-degree murder begins the next day. Lazarus refuses to defend himself; but his wife and daughter may have other plans.
Readings:
- Tufts University, March, 2019.
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Poster by Jordan Semprevivo
Cary Mazer 