Tales of the Lost Formicans

by Constance Congdon

“If not the best new play of recent years, surely this is the most imaginative. Constance Congdon’s brilliant Off-Broadway script wryly deflects the story of a man with Alzheimer’s disease into a travel guide to Middle America conducted by aliens.” —William Henry III, Time“Constance Congdon’s TALES OF THE LOST FORMICANS is a treat in so many ways — starting with its deliciously wry title … you shouldn’t miss Congdon is a new voice, and her innumerable small triumphs are achieved with a freshness of spirit, with a humor and charm so distinctively individual, that one just wants to hear more and more from her … Congdon’s aliens are a fluidly shifting metaphor for her own complex relation to the subject of her drama, a lower-middle suburban family coping with three generations’ worth of stress simultaneously …” —Michael Feingold, Village Voice“… a savagely uncompromising play of searching insights, biting wit and all too recognizable home truths … There are laughs, wit and humor, but this is a chillingly painful play. Congdon is a terrific playwright with sure command of language and her subject …” —Polly Warfield, Drama-Logue“Congdon’s writing creates dialogue that crackles with wit, imagination and incisive passion …” —A J Esta, Drama-Logue

Genres: Plays

86 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Christy]

Bleak yet structurally fun existential meditation as aliens kibbutz on and mess with human lives.

[Marissa]

Fun fact: one of the first professional productions of Tales of the Lost Formicans happened at San Francisco’s Eureka Theater in 1989, at which time, the theater also had Tony Kushner under commission to write Angels in America . Of course, Angels went on to become the Great American Play of the late 20th century while Formicans remains relatively obscure, but I can see a similar sensibility at work in both of these plays. They’re both about the existential dread of everyday life in 1980s America, but instead of being grim kitchen-sink dramas, they’re tragicomic, weird, whimsical fantasias. They feature short scenes, overlapping dialogue, a sense of the cosmic. In Kushner’s play, an angel bursts into the apartment of a young gay man; in Congdon’s, space aliens observe—and perhaps meddle in—the lives of a family in a Colorado tract home.

Newly divorced Cathy is alienated from her teenage son, Eric. Cathy’s dad, Jim, is slipping into dementia—becoming alienated from his surroundings and his sense of self. A man down the block committed suicide and another man is spouting conspiracy theories at the local bar. Life seems baffling and bleak… but maybe, if creatures from another planet observed it, they’d find it intriguing instead of baffling, droll instead of bleak? Or is it all the aliens’ fault—are they interfering in our lives and causing our troubles?

I encountered this play in a living-room reading at a friend’s house, where I played Judy, Cathy’s friend and fellow single mom. It was a lot of fun: Judy is a supporting role, but she gets some of the best comedy moments. But this is also the kind of play where the “kooky sidekick” character can attack her ex’s Corvette with a propane torch, while at the same time delivering a monologue that articulates Congdon’s bigger themes: “The way I see it, they fucked up in the Sixties, you know? They, like, took away all the values and didn’t put anything in its place.”

[Stuart]

The title play is the only one I've read (I couldn't find a single volume edition on here), but it's an excellent piece of late 20th century surrealism, simultaneously really strange but also very emotionally provocative. The humor is achieved with unexpected twists and turns, the poignancy with deft characterizations and just enough details and exposition to piece together a story. It drops you in the deep end and takes its time teaching you how to swim, but once there it all comes together in a fashion equal parts surprising and satisfying.

[Trish Gordon]

moo

[Sydney]

One of the strangest plays I’ve read but also genuinely such a good response to what Alzheimer’s is like and does to a family.

[Shannon]

Had a copy "Shannon hope you enjoy this. - S"

[Brittany Jackson]

Slightly confusing - in some ways. I saw where she was trying to go, but I am not sure she got there.