March 2009
BOSTON MARRIAGE
By David Mamet
A drawing room comedy in the style of Oscar Wilde written by David Mamet? Who knew? A full length David Mamet play with only three vulgar curse words? Go figure. This 1999 play was written by him as a result of a challenge by the women friends in his life. He wanted to prove to them that he could write good parts for women, too, and so, we have Boston Marriage. The term "Boston marriage", which was new to me, means a relationship between two women that may involve both physical and emotional intimacy. I like the play because it is not a heavy handed political statement, which many of his plays and movies can be, but rather, a witty working out of complicated circumstances between two people who once loved each other.
David Mamet's most famous work was his play, Glengarry Glen Ross, the 1983 Pulitzer Prize winner, which was later turned into an Oscar winning film with an all star cast. His early plays included Sexual Perversity in Chicago and American Buffalo. His expletive language is one of the primary characteristics of his writings, with popular themes of belonging, the vagaries of authority, the pivotal role played by loyalty, and the importance of speaking the truth. He often directs his own films, of which there are a couple of dozen, his plays, which number in the twenties. He is also a novelist and essayist. And, he is not done, yet.
The Cast
{In order of appearance}
Anna.......................................................................Zoe Elston
Claire......................................................................Ana Fever
Catherine ..............................................Chelsea LaValley
Anna - A woman of fashion
Claire - A woman of fashion
Catherine - The maid
From left to right: Ana Fever, Chelsea LaValley, Zoe Elston