From Library Journal
Parker's 1949 play never made it to Broadway. This excellent edition, with a thorough and graceful preface, is its first publication. The play is about a favorite subject from the 1940s, the story of Charles and Mary Lamb, which is one of insanity, alcoholism, murder, and loyalty. Using Evans's research, Parker created a play incorporating much actual material from the Lambs and their circle (Coleridge, Hazlitt, DeQuincy). The resulting work is powerful and literate. It is not, however, a masterpiece. It is too long; the performing version was one-third shorter. Its dramaturgy is based on Ibsen, which makes it outdated for its time. But Parker, using her own life's struggles, infuses the play with feeling.
- Thomas E. Luddy, Salem State Coll., Mass.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Thomas E. Luddy, Salem State Coll., Mass.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
