Woods: A Play

by David Mamet

A portrait of two young lovers spending a night in his family's cabin in the woods offers insight into the actions and emotions of people in love

Genres: Plays, Drama

103 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

David Alan Mamet is an American author, essayist, playwright, screenwriter and film director. His works are known for their clever, terse, sometimes vulgar dialogue and arcane stylized phrasing, as well as for his exploration of masculinity.

As a playwright, he received Tony nominations for Glengarry Glen Ross (1984) and Speed-the-Plow (1988). As a screenwriter, he received Oscar nominations for The Verdict (1982) and Wag the Dog (1997).

Mamet's recent books include The Old Religion (1997), a novel about the lynching of Leo Frank; Five Cities of Refuge: Weekly Reflections on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (2004), a Torah commentary, with Rabbi Lawrence Kushner; The Wicked Son (2006), a study of Jewish self-hatred and antisemitism; and Bambi vs. Godzilla, an acerbic commentary on the movie business.

Reviews

[Illiterate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mamet explores differences and tensions between men and women.

[Jake Van Hoorn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty solid proof that David Mamet is not good at writing female characters. There are exceptions of course but this sexist drivel is not one of them.

[?0?0?0 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having now read most of David Mamet's earlier work, with a couple of exceptions, not many stand out as all that moving or as interesting drama until a bit later in his career. These earlier plays are essentially two or a couple more people who aren't the best at communicating attempting to communicate. However, while that's true with "The Woods", there's also a sadness to this, a longing for the other that can't be granted, and the twisted things that come out of such a relationship. It doesn't hurt that the setting is atmospheric and we hear tales of ww2 vets with metal in their head receiving messages, maybe, from aliens. The dialogue has a nice flow to it and it's not for a second dull, and thing escalate rather quickly, and besides being entertaining it doesn't have much going for it and yet I quite enjoyed it.

[Jason Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m a fan of Mamet’s work. HOWEVER… This one sort of feels like I snuck into the teenage home of a great writer and found his first effort in a drawer, scribbled in a notebook. Feels forced and pretentious.
I also imagined an actor getting a call from an agent:
“I have good news and bad news. The good news? You’ve been offered a Mamet…”

[Skkyler Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was such a fun exploration of how dialogue can be written. The way he does so helps show pauses and the characters thought processes very well.
It doesn’t have a lot of action but I think that’s why I like it.

[Amanda Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

not my fav mamet play but an interesting thing to read if interested in overall questions of structure and form in theatre...

[Harry Balden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really think Mamet is on to something with his schtick tbh but good grief this was a long hour and a half

[nic · Rating 3 out of 5]

rowing boat oar abuse is real.

[Elliot Chalom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. Had a chance to redeem itself in Scene III but didn't quite get there. Mamet's ability to tell a story solely through dialogue is usually extraordinary, but The Woods lacks the emotional potency typical of his plays.

[Marc · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not one of his best - did not get it at all...

[Ed · Rating 2 out of 5]

eh

[shinji · Rating 2 out of 5]

ass. 2 stars for goddess patti. fuck david mamet