Walter Wykes

It seems if there is one truth in modern theatre, it's this: people don't write good absurdism anymore. The back blurb waxes rhapsodic, comparing the playwright to Beckett, Ionesco, Pinter...I know Beckett, and he is no Beckett. Same goes for Ionesco and Pinter. The plays do have a certain...something...but what it is I can't really say. Being weird and offbeat is not adequate to make something a good play. I found these plays to be unexciting, to lack compelling characters or a compelling reason to draw me into the story. They did have the merit of being short enough to read quickly, but the style of publication was also offputting. It looked self published, and maybe it was, though there was a publisher listed. I was excited to read these because I love absurdism, but I begin to suspect it is impossible to write good absurdism unless you both believe the world to be meaningless, and believe that to be a bad thing. And know how to make meaninglessness interesting. Beckett and Ionesco need not worry; they are not at risk of being supplanted.… (altro)