John Moore of the
Denver
Post has surveyed 177 theater professionals for their opinions about the
10 greatest American plays. Top-ten results are
here.
Complete list of all
296 plays that got votes is
here.
Comments:
For
what little it's worth, Bobo named eight of the top ten off the top of his
head.
The two I missed reveal my own provinciality.
But in the overall
rankings, note how A
ugust: Osage County is knocking on the
door.
Women and ethnic minorities might wish for more representation.
I
think the list is muddied: Best play by an American that's on ANY subject vs.
best plays about the American experience.
I've seen the top 24 plays in
performance — then,
Little Foxes and C
hildren's Hour, only in the movie versions — and
Nos. 27-29 (
Topdog, Blue
Leaves, Normal Heart), I've never seen in any form.
I'll admit my
ignorance: I've never even heard of
Mud or
My Head Is a Sledgehammer. And I am embarrassed to
say that I have never even read
A Moon for the Misbegotten.
I think
Buried Child is ranked
ahead of
True
West because people admire it, respect its artistry, not because it plays
better onstage or is more beloved.
Sorry, but Iceman
Cometh is a duty, not a pleasure. And I saw Jason Robards in it.
The plays of Horton Foote should move up; so should Sondheim's. Musicals,
in general, undervalued here.
But your mileage will differ.
Best
candidates for Spokane productions?
Our Town, Osage County, American Buffalo,
Little Foxes, Dutchman, Grapes of Wrath, Kentucky Cycle (first half is best, and
phenomenal), The Goat, Indians (big production values have lessened its
perceived value?), The Boys in the Band. And that's just in the top 100 (after
which, in my opinion, choices start getting quirky -- though I've long been an
old softie for Christopher Durang's The Marriage of Bette and Boo).
Things
would clarify if you restricted these, as the Pulitzer does, to an American
focus.Enough. Your choices and comments?