Customer Reviews

Where Do We Live and Other Plays

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I don't review on Amazon, but since no one else is saying it here, I feel I should. Christopher Shinn is a damn good playwright. He talks about things relevant to our times w/o simplifying things. His characters are psychologically credible and complex. He has range (he doesn't simply write the same play over and over). He's not a writer who will hit you over the head, but his intelligence and subtlety can be even more rewarding. Also, he does have his own voice, and set of obsessions. He's a moralist in the tradition of all great writers, meaning not that he's moralistic but that he seems interested in bringing into question accepted mores and stereotypes. "Other People" and "Where Do We Live" are two of the best plays I've read recently (and I read a lot of plays). The other plays in the book are also really good. People who criticize him for writing naturalistic plays are way off. It's like criticizing someone for NOT writing naturalistic plays; it simply reveals more about the person's preferences than any actual shortcoming. Moreover, the plays are not really that naturalistic. "Long Day's Journey Into Night" is not really that naturalistic either. Like any good dramatic writing, Shinn's plays lend themselves to a variety of possible stagings. I recommend this book to anyone who loves theatre.

A formidable talent in a generous soul who insists on the full embodied humanity of his characters. Climax, refusal to climax and anti-climax are recurrent expressions of desire fulfilled, stifled or suppressed. Shinn dispenses orgasms like a jolly Santa Claus on Christmas morning rewarding the struggles of his characters and offering them the stuff of hope they need to reach the next moment. The greatest gift he bestows on them, no matter how privileged or ravaged, is consciousness of their own limitations--intellectual, moral and emotional--up and down the socio-economic ladder. In consciousness, he confers dignity and plants the seeds of individual positive transformation. One senses he is very much on this journey too, sharing insights when they're sufficiently developed and shaped to be of service. A wonderful, illuminating collection. Highly recommended.