Oedipus at Palm Springs: A Five Lesbian Brothers Play

by The Five Lesbian Brothers, Dominique Dibbell, Peg Healey

Irreverent theater group the Five Lesbian Brothers get their greasy prints on a classic. Oedipus at Palm Springs follows the dark adventure of two couples on a retreat to the desert resort town. While new parents Fran and Con try desperately to jump-start their sex life, May-December love bunnies Prin and Terri can’t keep their hands off each other. What begins as a hilarious, boozey weekend takes a horrific turn after a secret is revealed. Two parts comedy with a shot of tragedy shaken over ice, Oedipus at Palm Springs is a brave examination of the messy guts of relationships.

Genres: Plays

96 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2010

Reviews

[andreea. · Rating 4 out of 5]

.

[eris · Rating 4 out of 5]

read for class. my 4.5 star rating might be (read: definitely is) biased because of the incredible conversations that took place on it in said class.

[Zoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I...might need a break from Oedipus. In POETICS, Aristotle claims that women do not have the capacity to be tragic characters. Here, he's proven utterly wrong.

I get it, I get it, I get it—and I'm still not ready to have the conversation of why this is somehow one hundred million times more terrifying and disturbing than the source material.

Certainly leaves a mark, and I appreciated the subtle ways which the tragic structure flowed through each principal character, but the dialogue wasn't for me—harsh, abrasive, and tacky, even. Yet- possibly the boldest swing and most fucked examination of contemporary issues related to motherhood I've engaged with.

Uuuuugh.

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite of the 5LB plays I've read so far. The dialogue feels very natural and the pacing is well-done. Since everyone in the audience knows what's going to happen (it's in the title, after all), it feels like a car crash you can't look away from.

Themes:
-desire, sexuality
-motherhood
-fate

[Kate O’Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothin like it

[Michelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vaya viaje y qué personajes mÁS CURIOSOS. Freud por favor vete