The Hallway Trilogy

by Adam Rapp

"Rapp remains a true man of the theater and a potent writer."— Time Out "To watch The Hallway Trilogy by Adam Rapp is to enter an alternate universe . . . a carnival of the desperate, the grotesque, the outrageous."— The New York Times "I knew in a single sentence that Adam was a writer the world was going to listen to for as long as he felt like writing. . . . Adam writes like nobody else, his fierce poetic power as inescapable as the doom that waits for his characters. The work is bleak and true, his touch that of a master in the making."—Marsha Norman Multi-talented artist and provocateur Adam Rapp shocks and disturbs, weaving themes of love, suffering, and redemption throughout this alarming yet heartening critical examination of societal change. Spanning one hundred years in one Lower East Side tenement hallway, this series of connected plays— Rose , Paraffin , and Nursing —is a dark and compelling exploration of what binds people together and drives them apart. Packed with searing dialogue and harrowing narratives, The Hallway Trilogy "bristles with humor" and "contains some of Rapp's most sensitive and mature writing" ( The New York Times ). Adam Rapp is a novelist, filmmaker, and an OBIE Award–winning playwright and director. His plays include the Pulitzer Prize finalist Red Light Winter , Nocturne , Stone Cold Dead Serious , Finer Noble Gases , Essential Self-Defense , and more. He is the author of many young adult novels such as Punkzilla , The Buffalo Tree , and Under the Dog , and the writer and director of the film Winter Passing , starring Zooey Deschanel, Will Ferrell, and Ed Harris.

Genres: Plays

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 14, 2012

About the author

Adam Rapp says that when he was working on his chilling, compulsively readable young adult novel 33 SNOWFISH, he was haunted by several questions. Among them: "When we have nowhere to go, who do we turn to? Why are we sometimes drawn to those who are deeply troubled? How far do we have to run before we find new possibilities?"

At once harrowing and hypnotic, 33 SNOWFISH--which was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association--follows three troubled young people on the run in a stolen car with a kidnapped baby in tow. With the language of the street and lyrical prose, Adam Rapp hurtles the reader into the world of lost children, a world that is not for the faint of heart. His narration captures the voices of two damaged souls (a third speaks only through drawings) to tell a story of alienation, deprivation, and ultimately, the saving power of compassion. "For those readers who are ready to be challenged by a serious work of shockingly realistic fiction," notes SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, "it invites both an emotional and intellectual response, and begs to be discussed."

Adam Rapp’s first novel, MISSING THE PIANO, was named a Best Book for Young Adults as well as a Best Book for Reluctant Readers by the American Library Association. His subsequent titles include THE BUFFALO TREE, THE COPPER ELEPHANT, and LITTLE CHICAGO, which was chosen as a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. The author’s raw, stream-of-consciousness writing style has earned him critical acclaim. "Rapp’s prose is powerful, graphic and haunting," says SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL. [He] writes in an earthy but adept language," says KIRKUS REVIEWS. "Takes a mesmerizing hold on the reader," adds HORN BOOK MAGAZINE.

In addition to being a novelist, Adam Rapp is also an accomplished and award-winning playwright. His plays--including NOCTURNE, ANIMALS AND PLANTS, BLACKBIRD, and STONE COLD DEAD SERIOUS--have been produced by the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the New York Theatre Workshop, and the Bush Theatre in London, among other venues.

Born and raised in Chicago, the novelist and playwright now lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5, wounded up.

Rose - 1 star
Paraffin -2 stars
Nursing - 3.5 stars

Rapp's plays have always been hit or miss with me ( I loved both his Pulitzer nominated 'Red Light Winter' and his most recent, 'The Sound Inside'), and unfortunately these three are mainly misses. A very loosely connected triptych - the main connection is the titular setting - only the third play really connected, IMHO. The first one, set in 1953, rambles on without much purpose or interest. The second, set in 2003, is mildly more interesting, and ends (literally) with a bang - but I also felt it lacking in substance. The third, set in futuristic 2053, also had myriad problems, but at least came to a satisfying conclusion and had some point.

[John Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bucket list to direct all 3 in Rep. Wow!!

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 plays

Rose - 1953 - 4 stars
Paraffin - 2003 - 5 stars
Nursing - 2053 - 3 stars

[Will Radford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rose - 2.5/5

Paraffin - 3.5/5

Nursing - 4/5.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

THIS REVIEW IS ONLY FOR THE THIRD PLAY, NURSING.

So I had to read this for my writing seminar in college. It's... how do I put it? Interesting, peculiar, strange, unique, provoking? You can read the summary, I don't like writing summary in my reviews since you probably read the summary before reading this review, and you can understand why I used those adjectives. I do know that if I were to see this performed, my reaction would be more noticeable. Try this if you're a fan of dystopian literature. You have to wonder, I often wonder, how society would be different in 50, 100, 200 years. If a genie were to give me three wishes, I'll be honest and make my first the ability to travel through time, so I can see how different the world is in such time periods. (Concrete translation of my mental and physical self through time, that is.)

[Taylor Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought each play was thought provoking and entertaining in its own way but the connective ties of a trilogy don't run the whole way through. Rose and Paraffin make sense together - Although Rose is not without it's charm, I see Paraffin as the stronger of these two - with the tightest plot and more complex characters. The final story in the trilogy would read stronger as a standalone play.
Nursing packs the most punch (especially given the worldwide pandemic), tells the most cohesive and complete story, and pushes the most boundaries. Nursing is a play that I would direct in a heartbeat.