Customer Reviews

The Secret Rapture: A Play

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David Hare is an amazing writer and this play is one of his best!A captivating storyline that touched emotions that I never knew I had and left me pondering on life and how vunerable we all are!When a play leaves an impression on you,whether good or bad(and in this instance good) you can be sure that the writer is damn good at their job and David Hare sure is!

Irwin says that evil is real. After finishing this play, where a family moves from one death through to another, while hearts and spirits are broken or manipulated, the presence of evil does lurk. There is an element of greed which permeates The Secret Rapture, which may be simplified as the downward spiral of one woman, whose spirit and heart are piece by piece removed by her closed people.
I liked this because Hare writes women characters wondefully, and the heroine, named Isobel is a sesnitive soul inundated by the mood of the day. Almost helplessly she sees her world up-turned, not sure if it is meant to be or she's simply passive and afraid.
Hare also creates in the characters of Marion, Isobel's sister, and Tom, Marion's husband, two genuinely deceptive or deceived people. Marion is scary, and Tom is somewhat limp, loving Jesus throughout much of the play. They represent the powerful and power hungry and the righteous, respectively. There are several scenes when I wanted Isobel to lash out furiously at Marion, who arrogantly advances through the world, unmoved by those troubled by it.
This is a heavy play. One that sets damage at the forefront and features people who break and are unbreakable.

"The Secret Rapture" is a stunning piece of drama. Not only does the play portray the alarming effects of Thatcherism, it creates its own world of distinct and unique characters. Building upon the theme that "good people bring out the worst in us," Hare presents a passionate work that never breaks down into melodrama yet wrenches the heart and forces readers and viewers alike to rethink ideas of faith in goodness and in all religions, spiritual and material. Intense and brilliant.