Rockaby And Other Short Pieces (1994) - Plot & Excerpts
Note: I only read Rockaby, as I actually read a compilation of Not I/Footfalls/Rockaby.All three plays were not clear, but the message gets through even though you aren't completely clear on what exactly happened. I watched the plays before reading them, which was slightly confusing, since the monologue in Not I is uttered at thought speed. Very fast, especially if it has a stream of consciousness (read: fragmented) way about it.I digress:Not I: The weirdest of the three, and the least accessible. I had the feeling, even after reading the play, that I was missing out on a lot. Still very powerful.Footfalls: My favorite. Very sad, emotional. Somehow you get a better impression of the characters. There's a bit of relationship in there too. All good. Creepy, of course. The play had very little lighting, so you were constantly straining to see this ghost like figure on stage. I didn't get the 'message' if, indeed, there was one. (I find, like in Godot, that SB often is saying something along the lines of "Life is meaningless!!") The story, though, is great, and I felt as if I gained something by watching it, though I'm not entirely sure what.Rockaby: Without doubt the creepiest. Wow. In stead of telling us (students) again and again: modernism means that life is meaningless because A, B, C, you should just have us watch this. It drives the point home like nothing else I've ever encountered. The isolation, the emptiness, the meaninglessness. It's downright terrible. In an awesome way.
What do You think about Rockaby And Other Short Pieces (1994)?
