Three Plays: Desire Under The Elms, Strange Interlude, Mourning Becomes…

These three plays from the early 1920's are strong testaments to the developing power of O'Neill's theatrical vision. That said, the first play, "The Emperor Jones", is the weakest. This play about a deposed West Indian dictator, fleeing his pursuers and the visions of his victims, reads like a "Twilight Zone" episode. "Anna Christie", about a young and exhausted hooker attempting to escape her life by reuniting with her long-separated father, is a step up and shows a good deal of empathy and emotional range, albeit with a disappointingly ambiguous ending. "The Hairy Ape", about a rough coal-stoker seaman gradually coming to terms with society's perception of him, is the most powerful and well-realized of the three, although the ending is a trifle bizarre and contrived. O'Neill was clearly developing his talents at this point. ( )

favourite playwright of my teenage years ( )