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Gallows Humor
Author(s):
Jack Richardson
Howard Taubman describes "In a sharp-edged prologue, Mr. Richardson declares his thesis... (He) is suggesting earnestly in his cheerful fashion that the small routines strangle the spirit and that the adventure to the unknown should be embraced recklessly. No one would wish to quarrel with such brave, heady counsel. But note the symbols chosen to develop this argument. In the first part of GALLOWS HUMOR we encounter Walter, who has worked out to the tiniest detail how he will employ the two hours preceding his hanging. A benevolent penal system, intent on a new program of magnanimity, sends him a prostitute to beguile his last hours. He resists her, breaks down and confesses to her the sources of his troubled soul and at last lets her recall the joy of life to him. The second half of GALLOWS HUMOR takes place in the executioner's kitchen. Philip, the hangman, leads a contented existence until he discovers his wife, Martha, in an embrace with the warden. Instead of being upset, he feels liberated. He will leave, seeking whatever destiny each day may hold. But he cannot escape. Marriage holds him in chains. He must go on with his duties as executioner."
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| Genre(s): | Comedy
Drama
| | Time Period(s): | Not Available | | Play Type: | Play | | Runtime: | Not Available | | Acts: | Not Available | | Set Complexity: | Not Available | | Set Information: | Not Available | | Year First Published: | Not Available | | Total Characters: | 3 | | Male Characters: | 2 | | Female Characters: | 1 | | Androgynous Characters: | Not Available | | Minimum Cast: | Not Available | | Maximum Cast: | Not Available | | Cost: | FEE: $50 per performance
Royalty/cost information prone to change.
Please check with the publisher for the most accurate information. | | Publisher: | Dramatists Play Service
Click on the publisher's name above for additional information, including updated prices. | | ISBN: | Not Available |
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