Maxwell Anderson (1) (1888–1959)

Intriguing verse play by theatrical giant Maxwell Anderson deals with the denizens of northern New Mexico and their fear of being overwhelmed by the US military during the 1840s. Though built on this political background, the play on the surface is a family drama about sons and fathers working out their jealousies of one another. Though the denouement relies too heavily on a rather convenient change of heart, Anderson’s play is nonetheless a pretty rich and effective work.

A series of emblematic scenes in the relationship of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, starting with his disruption of her plans to marry the Earl of Northumberland and ending with his disruption of her plans to continue breathing. In Act I, she hates him, he loves her and he wins her love by giving her the world. In Act II she loves him, he hates her and he, somehow, retains her love by taking everything away from her. It just goes to illustrate the old adage that I just made up -- 'When a man show more loses his heart, he loses his pocketbook. When a woman loses her heart, she loses her head.' The play is written in alternating prose and free verse, making it resemble, on the page, something like a libretto, with long pages of recitative interspersed with arias, duets and ensembles. I've never seen a performance (should probably rent the film with Richard Burton & Genvieve Bujold), so I wonder how that compositional affectation actually plays itself out on the stage. show less

Sometimes the best experiences come along when they are lest expected.

I read this play in high school as an assignment for a Stagecraft class. I had no idea what it was about, all I knew was that it was a play and I had to pick something and read it in a day. Little did I know that it would contain lessons that I would take with me and be writing about thirty-five years later.

The Wingless Victory is the name of a ship that a prodigal son has purchased/obtained after years of being away show more from home. He is returning now to his small New England hometown because he hopes that his riches will redeem him in the eyes of his family and friends. Problems surface when his family realizes he has married a woman of a different race. Will they rejoice in the return of their long lost family member, or will their deep, long-hidden racism rear its ugly head and prevent a happy homecoming?

This play explores the masks and tragic impact of racism that are as prevalent and applicable today as when The Wingless Victory was written. If you are luck enough to find a copy, read this play. It will move you. I felt the pangs of heartache and love in this timeless tragedy. show less

Poetic, whimsical fantasy, one of master playwright Maxwell Anderson's lesser works (though it did win prizes in its day), revolves around a dreamer who lives on the titular mountain and resists selling it to industrialists. Entering the fray are a squadron of sixteenth-century Dutch sailors and their captain's wife, seemingly marooned on the mountain and in time. Anderson writes richly and, at times, ornately this blank verse play, but the story is mostly too flimsy to support the level of show more dramatic writing he gives it. It is more the material of a musical than a play, and in fact was turned into an unsuccessful musical on television. Anderson is a superb writer, but he has numerous works which transcend the power of this one. show less