Greenland (1988 play) explained

Greenland is a 1988 play by Howard Brenton. It is a neo-Brechtian epic psychodrama^[1] with many actors, props and scene changes,^[2] on which the writer worked for seven years.^[3] It is the last of Brenton's three Utopian plays, following Sore Throats and Bloody Poetry.^[4]

Howard Brenton's Greenland is not to be confused with the 2011 play of the same name co-authored by Moira Buffini, Matt Charman, Penelope Skinner and Jack Thorne.

The play opened at the Royal Court Theatre in London on 26 May 1988^[5] and played there for a season.^[6] Its United States premiere was at the Famous Door Theater in Chicago in January 1994.^[7]

Plot summary

The first act is set on 11 June 1987, the day of the third consecutive Conservative general election victory.^[8] Four of the characters jump into the River Thames in despair, and in the second act wake up 700 years in the future, in a utopia where no one has to do anything they don't want to.^[9]

Leading characters

The action centres around four characters: Joan, a Labour parliamentary candidate; Betty, a morally-outraged fundamentalist; Brian, a drunk; and Paul, Lord Ludlow, a wife-beating, debt-ridden capitalist.^[10]

Notes and References

1. Book: Sternlicht, Sanford V. . A reader's guide to modern British drama . 2004 . . 978-0-8156-3076-0 . 212 .
2. Book: Brater, Enoch . The theatrical gamut: notes for a post-Beckettian stage . 1995 . . 978-0-472-10583-0 . 220 .
3. Book: Reinelt, Janelle G. . After Brecht: British Epic Theater . 1996 . . 978-0-472-08408-1 . 18 .
4. O'Connor . John . December 2005 . From Sore Throats to Greenland: Howard Brenton's Utopian Plays . Contemporary Justice Review . . 8 . 4 . 409–430 . 1028-2580 . 10.1080/10282580500334270 . 144579934 .
5. Book: Boon, Richard . Brenton, the playwright . 1991 . . 978-0-413-18970-7 . xiii .
6. Book: Homden, Carol . The plays of David Hare . registration . 1995 . . 978-0-521-42718-0 . 100 .
7. News: Weiss . Hedy . Wild Flight to 'Greenland': Brenton Play Gets U.S. Premiere Here . 35 . . 14 January 1994 .
8. Book: Stevenson, Randall . The Oxford English Literary History . Jonathan Bate . Jonathan Bate . 2006 . . 978-0-19-928835-9 . 325 .
9. Book: Bram, Leon L. . Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia 1989 Yearbook . Norma H. Dickey . 1989 . . 978-0-8374-9562-0 . 238 .
10. News: Christiansen . Richard . Famous Door does what it can with 'Greenland' . 18 . . 19 January 1994 .