Three satiric plays by Oscar-winning screenwriter Ethan Coen
Raising Arizona, Fargo, No Country for Old Men, Burn After Readingāthe Coen brothersā ļ¬lms are some of the most critically acclaimed and iconic of our time. Now, one half of the duo, Ethan Coen, adds playwriting to his eclectic bio. In these three short plays that ran to sold-out audiences Off-Broadway in 2008, the theme is hellāboth on earth and in the hereafter.
In āWaiting,ā a man faces an uncertain future in an uncertain location that seems to be some kind of waiting room. The anxiety and despair hark back to dramas of the ļ¬ftiesāSartre, Beckett, Pinter.
āFour Benchesā depicts an unlikely meeting in a steam room between a straight-talking Texan and an uptight Brit. Both men learn from the encounter, though only one survives it.
In āDebate,ā the cantankerous god of the Old Testament roundly abuses the mealymouthed god of the New. His profanity and ill humor receive a startling comeuppance, and further reversals and changes of point of view lead to a denouement that is no more preposterous than anything else in the play.
Clever, provocative, and as engaging as the best ļ¬ction, these plays showcase yet another talent of one of our most celebrated contemporary writers.
