Pride's Crossing

by Tina Howe

At ninety, Mabel Tidings Bigelow insists on celebrating her daughter and granddaughter's annual visit with an archaic croquet part. As it unfolds, she relives vignettes from the last eighty years that subtly interleave past and present to reveal the precise movement of opportunity lost and love rejected that define her life. A vibrant portrait of Mabel takes shape: her flashes of wit and humor, resilience, disappointments, youthful spunk and geriatric willfulness. Her Boston blue blood family expected daughters to applaud from the sidelines, but Mabel had one shining moment of achievement: she was the first woman to swim the English channel. Her willfulness did not extend to rejecting a socially ideal fiancee for love. Pride's Crossing is a rewarding challenge for a talented cast.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Theatre

117 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Tina Howe (November 21, 1937 – August 28, 2023) was an American playwright.

Reviews

[Lauren]

A past-and-present story about a young woman who swam the English Channel in her 20s, the story is more about the end of an illustrious New England family. Some good characters and moments, but not one of the stronger parts I’ve seen for older woman. Quasi-recommended.

[J Dubyuh]

For all intents and purposes a well written play by a good playwright that I was totally disinterested in. I do like though how many supportive characters in this play. Most people in a play are usually selfish or mean, but Howe sees the good in people.

[Ashley]

Every interesting read. Mabel, at age 90, is going to throw her great-granddaughter a croquet party and the play moves back and forth in time. We see little glimpses of Mabel's life as a child and adult. I like how the scenes that take place back in time are almost all on order from the time Mabel is 10 until she her husband passes away. All in all a great little story, that everyone could enjoy.

[Bobby Sullivan]

Not the easiest play to get into, but I warmed to it with each passing act. Mabel is a character whose two life-defining moments happened in her twenties. She's in her nineties now, physically infirm and consciously choosing not to think about the regret she feels for the choices she made decades ago. A rather melancholy play.