Harvey

"Reality! I wrestled with reality for forty years, doctor, and I am happy to state that I've now got reality just where I want it!" I saw the movie version of Harvey in my heedless youth and thought it was an amusing film about alcoholism. A chance re-watching on TCM recently revealed greater depths, and I bought the play and found it a minor masterpiece of unexpected insight. I want to find out more about Mary Chase.

Cute tale about who is really normal and who is crazy about the wrong things. Nothing spectacular in terms of insight, and as far as comedies go, it is not the best, and it could have accomplished just as much without the innuendos, but worth the read.

A classic of comedic theatre. A man has a six-foot white rabbit that no one else can see. His sister thinks it's time for him to be committed. A misunderstanding at the sanitorium leads to all sorts of comedic mayhem. The ultimate question: what is the nature of reality? How do we deal with things we can't see? The characters are well drawn out, especially Elwood and Veta, and the play is just a lot of good old fun. Decide for yourself - is there really such a thing as a pooka?

Cute tale about who is really normal and who is crazy about the wrong things. Nothing spectacular in terms of insight, and as far as comedies go, it is not the best, and it could have accomplished just as much without the innuendos, but worth the read.

For 2023 trickster challenge in Into the Forest group, as I've been informed that Harvey is a pooka, which is a trickster.
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Done. Feelings about/reactions to the play are mixed up in my head with the visualization of the movie with Jimmy Stewart. Not sure if I ever saw the movie, but knowing the actor means being able to pretty well imagine how the film would play out. If I could see some other performance I think I'd be interested.

Lots to think about, maybe discuss, with the right audience of other readers. Not so much to type about, to muse with strangers. Anyway. Atm my main takeaway is that I feel sorry for poor Myrtle Mae, given the setting in which she lived.

4648. Harvey Comedy in Three Acts, by Mary Chase (read 6 Dec 2009) (Pulitzer Drama prize for 1945) I have seen this performed, most notably at Benedictine College in Atchison, KS, where my daughter was in the cast. I laughed so hard It hurt. The same is true when I heard the play on the radio or saw it on TV. Reading it is a less uproariously comic adventure. It is only the 4th Pulitzer-prize-winning play I've read.

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