America Hurrah and Other Plays

by Jean-Claude van Itallie, Bill Coco (Introduction)

Jean-Claude van Itallie is one of the most distinguished playwrights of the American avant-garde. A keen deconstruction of American popular culture, the America Hurrah triptych served notice that here was a major new dramatic voice. America Hurrah and Other Plays is a definitive collection of the work of a major American playwright, with such works as Bag Lady, written in the voice of a deceptively insightful homeless woman; The Serpent, a fanciful interpretation of the story of Adam and Eve; The Traveller, which depicts a charismatic and brilliant artist recovering from a stroke; and van Itallie's dazzling play based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

Genres: Plays

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[Matthew Wilder]

The time has come to acknowledge the greatness, the LITERARY greatness (and the sheer theatrical crackle too) of Jean-Claude Van Itallie.

I listened to Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms while reading Van Itallie’s adaptation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead. The two are not too far off...especially in the intense physicality and immediacy of Van Itallie’s account of being a punch-drunk soul who may not be aware he’s dead.

His AMERICA HURRAH remains as apt a diagnostic tool of societal decline as ever. The effects are sonic but also derivative of film editing. Van Itallie’s TV is a brilliant study of the effects of media on the Hoi Polloi and, queerly, vice versa. In addition to being a manufacturer of magnificent coups de theatre, Van Itallie is also a literary mind. Why have we neglected him? Why have we been so bad to him? Tuning into Van Itallie’s last-week meditation class tells us the man has many more tricks up his sleeve. So throw down the cards!

[Liz]

I've seen a production of The Serpent and it was awesome. I'm eager to read the play as I am not sure if what I saw was extremely minimalist, or if the playwright guides the production toward such spartan and bizarre imagery.

[Jessica]

on order.