The Guys: A Play [Paperback]

Anne Nelson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 13, 2002

First performed in a hit off-off-Broadway production, and soon to be a film starring Sigourney Weaver and Anthony LaPaglia, The Guys is a timeless drama about the surprising truths people can discover in ordinary lives, and the connections we make with others and ourselves in times of tragedy.

Paralyzed by grief and unable to put his thoughts into words, Nick, a fire captain, seeks out the help of a writer to compose eulogies for the colleagues and friends he lost in the catastrophic events of September 11, 2001. As Joan, an editor by trade, draws Nick out about “the guys,” powerful profiles emerge, revealing vivid personalities and the substance and meaning that lie beneath the surface of seemingly unremarkable people. As the individual talents and enthusiasms of the people within the small firehouse community are realized, we come to understand the uniqueness and value of what each person has to contribute. And Nick and Joan, two people who under normal circumstances never would have met, jump the well-defined tracks of their own lives, and so learn about themselves, about life, and about the healing power of human connection, through talking about the guys.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Compelled by the tragic events of September 11, Columbia Journalism School professor Nelson volunteered to write eulogies for a fire captain who lost eight men. When director Jim Simpson of off-Broadway's Flea Theatre learned about her efforts, he recognized the potential for an original play. With his encouragement, first-time playwright Nelson feverishly wrote this two-character, one-act work, showing great sensibility and compassion. Premiered at the Flea Theatre on December 4, 2001, the play has been a running success. In these finished eulogies, the fire captain's sketchy recollections of four of his men at work and at play were transformed into full portraitures. Through skillful dialogs and monologs, minimal props and setting, Nelson transcended time and space to create a moving, cathartic work. The book includes three pictures from the Flea Theatre production, a lengthy preface and afterword by the author, and a list of suggested readings. This timely literary work is highly recommended for all academic and public libraries.
Ming-ming Shen Kuo, Ball State Univ. Lib., Muncie, IN
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

From her experience helping a New York fire captain prepare eulogies for the men in his command who died on 9/11, Nelson distilled this two-person play. Premiered in December 2001 at a theater near the WTC and struggling to survive in the tragedy's wake, it consists of monologues by Jane, a journalist; dialogues between her and Nick, captain of a decimated company; and overlapping closing monologues as Jane speaks her heart and Nick, who has already spoken so much of his, reads the words Jane has fashioned for him. The time limitations of viable performance allow limning only a handful of firefighters, and Nelson makes the most of those strictures, presenting a veteran, a probie (a rookie on probationary appointment), and two men in mid-career. Drawing on her knowledge of Argentina and the American heartland, Nelson also has Jane voice some far-flung perspectives on 9/11. Deeply moving when read, the play may be overwhelming onstage and in the forthcoming film version. Nelson's preface, afterword, and further reading advice worthily fill out this book. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks; 1st edition (August 13, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812967291
• ISBN-13: 978-0812967296
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.4 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,084,697 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anne Nelson is an author, lecturer and playwright who specializes in media and international affairs from a human rights perspective. Nelson's most recent book is "Red Orchestra: the Story of the Berlin Underground and the Circle of Friends Who Resisted Hitler." It was selected as a New York Times "Editor's Choice" in 2009. Its German edition, published by C. Bertelsman, was widely reviewed and described as a "masterpiece" in the Frankfurter Rundschau. A screenplay based on the book is now in circulation. Nelson's dramatic writing include the 2001 play, "The Guys," produced across the U.S. and as a feature film starring Anthony LaPaglia and Sigourney Weaver. Her 2005 play Savages, produced off-Broadway, dealt with the trauma of counter-insurgency warfare, and was described by the New Yorker as a work of "lacerating beauty." Her 1986 book, "Murder Under Two Flags," was produced as a feature starring Robert Duvall and Kevin Spacey. Nelson has a second career as a media consultant. She blogs for PBS MediaShift and appears on twitter as anelsona. Nelson was born at Fort Sill, Oklahoma and is a graduate of Yale University. She lives in New York with her husband, author George Black. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and teaches "New Media and Development Communications" at Columbia University.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful post-9/11 play, September 8, 2002

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Guys: A Play (Paperback)

There have been a lot of books written in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But "The Guys," by Anne Nelson, is definitely one that stands out from the pack. This is a two character play. The preface states that it "is based on a true experience."

"The Guys" tells the story of Nick, a New York City fire captain who has lost many men in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. He comes to see Joan, a writer, so that she can help him write eulogies for his fallen men. As the two characters talk about the dead firefighters, Nick opens up and they create testimonies to these men.

This is a very moving work of drama. Although rooted in the events of 9/11, the play touches on issues that transcend that specific historical moment; it's about the place of a writer in society and about the potential power of words as healing tools. It's also about how extraordinary events impact ordinary people.

A director's note states that the play was commissioned in response to the 9/11 events, and opened in December 2001. Recommended as a companion text: "The Laramie Project," co-authored by Moises Kaufman; this is another fact-based play about how people respond to a violent tragedy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Piercingly real, January 16, 2007

By 

J. King (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Guys: A Play (Paperback)

As a firefighter I was taken aback by the emotions that surfaced as I read. Nelson does an excellent job capturing the unseen stoicism of the fire service. An excellent read for anyone.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A WOW of a single event AND of humanity, all at once., July 10, 2005

By 

Julie Jordan Scott "Writer, Life Coach - Owne... (Bakersfield, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Guys: A Play (Paperback)

This play is fascinating on many levels - and is rich
enough to continue to wow audiences long after
September 11 sinks deeper into history.

There is a lot of truth here - richly evident in the
human element of the stories Joan and Nick
weave together at a time when stories (beyond
horror and heartbreak) were able to tell.

Joan, a writer, is introduced to Nick in the days
after September 11 because Nick has the
privilege - and the awesome responsibility -
to speak at the funerals of his men who died
in the attacks on the World Trade Center.

The audience (in this case, reader) gets to know
Joan, the interviewer and more - about her
background in Oklahoma. We learn, for me
it was first hand and finally, about the magnitude
of the impact this event had on the New York
fire departments, especially in Manhatten.

The relationship between Nick and Joan is
remarkable AND truthful - sort of a universal
relationship of souls connecting post tragedy
of this size and strength.

Finally - I enjoyed reading the Preface, the
Author's Note and the Director's Note. It
felt almost sacred to hear how this very vital
piece of theatre, and literature, came into
being.

I would love to see it performed somewhere.

Ah, to be so blessed.