Suburban Motel [Paperback]

George F. Walker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1999

Something completely different from George Walker! Six plays, united only by the fact that they each take place in one and the same suburban motel room. Transients, lovers, the haunted and the hunted, the desperate and the dumb, each “strut and fret their hour upon the stage and then are heard of no more.” Real, funny and heartbreaking. With an introduction by Daniel De Raey.

Suburban Motel contains six plays: Problem Child, Criminal Genius, Risk Everything, Adult Entertainment, Featuring Loretta and The End of Civilization.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

George F. Walker
George F. Walker is one of Canada’s most prolific and widely produced playwrights. His work has been honoured with eight Chalmers Awards and five Dora Awards. His plays Criminals in Love and Nothing Sacred each won Governor General’s Awards for Drama. In 1999 Talonbooks released The East End Plays: Part One (which includes Criminals in Love, the Chalmer’s Award-winning Better Living and Escape from Happiness) and The Power Plays (a collection containing Gossip, Filthy Rich and The Art of War).

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Talonbooks; Revised edition (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0889224129
• ISBN-13: 978-0889224124
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #624,914 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Canada's premier playwright does it again, February 19, 2000

By 

Stone Junction "The Suburban Hobo" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Suburban Motel (Paperback)

George F. Walker has a knack for creating astonishing, vivid characters that exist beyond the confines of the stage. After seeing his plays, you leave convinced that these people were not simply dissolved into nothingness when the play concluded. Their lives continue on, as is sometimes most obvious when Walker revisits his characters down the road.

SUBURBAN MOTEL is a series of six plays, all taking place in the same (supposedly) seedy motel room. Each play stands alone, although some characters do pop up in more than one. The interconnecting theme, besides the location, is the despair that these characters feel.

As in most Walker plays, the plot is secondary. These are character-driven pieces, with no pat answers or Neil Simon-type wit. The inhabitants of these tales are stuck in lives they want out of, but with no clear idea as to how to leave.

Everyone will have their favorite play. Mine is CRIMINAL GENIUS, in which several criminals (including a few from previous Walker productions) decide to overthrow a vicious crimelord. Sadly, they fail miserably. I give nothing away by this; the enjoyment here comes from the characters, not the plot.

Overall, some plays don't measure up to others. They lack the bite of Walker's best plays (see ZASTROZZI or NOTHING SACRED). But less-than-perfect-Walker is still good theatre, and good reading.

1 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You're wrong., August 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Suburban Motel (Paperback)

There are six plays. Did you even read the damn thing