Independence

by Lee Blessing

Full Length Drama / The setting is the small town of Independence Iowa, the lifelong home of Evelyn Briggs. Her oldest daughter Kess, is a university professor in Minneapolis, but she has come home at the request of her sister Jo, who is concerned for Evelyn's mental health. Kess, a professed lesbian, wants to cut her family ties once and for all Jo, an incurable romantic and longtime virgin, has now become pregnant; while Sherry, salty tongued and amoral, wants only to finish high school so she can leave home for good. In the end, there is no accommodation possible but, instead, only a kind of arbitrary independence for each of the protagonists, as they come to realize that each must find her own heaven or hell in her own way. ( 4 women Total Cast 4)

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama

72 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1985

Reviews

[Jessi Green]

Over-all, I love this play. Though, for me, it does all depend on the performance of the actors. In our rendition, we did not stick completely true to the written word, and it was for the better. I feel the language of each individual character could have been a bit more defined. Also, things could have been a bit more subtly fucked up, rather than so incredibly melodramatic.

I did enjoy the sporadic wit and repartee between the three sisters in each scene - Sherry's unabashed honesty, Jo's frantic unease, and Kess' dry humor all make for wonderful, often hilarious, juxtaposition.

Evelyn Briggs, though, still boggles me. She never sounded like a real, breathing person. She sounded like a poetry reading. one of those hoity-toity readings that's just so deep it goes over your head, but in reality it's just bullshit.

[Yona Levin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this play was intensely moving, mainly because families truly do experience pains and troubles similar to what the Brigg's family is going through– loss, mistakes, lies, it's all things readers can relate to, admittedly on different levels. I loved reading about the relationships between the sisters, and between them and their mother. I particularly enjoyed how they expressed their fears about turning out like the rest of their family, and how that drove the entire plot and conflict.
I'm currently acting as Jo in a scene from this, and the insight that has given me into the life of 'Independence' is absolutely incredible. Re-reading it tells me so much more, and I enjoy it more than ever before. All in all, a wonderful play!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark, gritty, realism. Iowa, kitchen sink, 4 women.

[Riley Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was ROUGH. Trigger warning: narcissistic parent.

Very good though. I read it pretty much in one sitting all the way through. I did feel for the characters (and also wanted to get through the anxiety as quickly as possible).

I liked it! First scene was eh but when the mom shows up it picks up. I assume he has firsthand experience of a narcissist and the family patterns that emerge around them.

This does make me think that we NEED more women writing women, though. All these plays and stories written by men about women seem to hate them (by all, I mean the smattering of anthologies I’ve been reading recently).

I think this has flaws but it’s very good and would be so very upsetting and gripping to watch in person!

The three daughters do kind of perfectly line up with the usual archetypes that psychologists expect of children of narcissistic parents, and that makes them feel a little flat at points. But mostly I cared about them and felt invested.

Edited to add: You would have to make it clear this in the 80s, because nowadays, the word narcissist is so easy to grab and throw around, there's NO WAY these girls don't say it. So if you wanted this to work, it couldn't be set in the 2020s. You'd have to set it before easy access to the internet, where they could like, search their mom's symptoms.

Also, side note, but f*** that psychologist. But they never seem to be very helpful in dramas, I suppose.

[Teaandbooksplease · Rating 3 out of 5]

Small town, three sisters, one depressed and manipulative mother... For me, this play typical embodies the kind of family drama written in the 80s. A little dated, but Lee Blessing is good and family tension never goes out of style. Good parts for women!

[Christopher Madsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straight domestic drama about three sisters trying to break out of the orbit of their manipulative and mentally ill mother in small town middle America. Blessings dialogue, as always, is very natural and the characters strong.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 strong women!

[Mylissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting look at the mother daughter relationships within one family and who has it together and who doesn't and who is willing to stand up to their mother and who isn't. You've got one long suffering daughter, one who hasn't been home in forever, and the youngest, who is barely old enough to be independent legally.

Their mother is a piece of work, definitely manipulative and quite often terrible to her daughters which is why Kess got out. Jo has a tendency to be their mothers punching bag and often seems like a doormat. Sherry is young and doesn't have a lot of f***s to give. She seems to see their mother as nuts, Kess as someone who abandoned her and Jo without a backbone.

As their navigate Kess' visit home, things often get explosive. It's messy family life, sometimes it feels a little too messy, a little too contrived. I'd be interested to see it onstage however. Really good performances would probably make or break it.

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Small town, three sisters, one depressed and manipulative mother... For me, this play typical embodies the kind of family drama written in the 80s. A little dated, but Lee Blessing is good and family tension never goes out of style. Good parts for women!

[Tanish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh families... why are you so dang crazy?