The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?

Description

"Albee's perversely funny sendup of a standard mid-life crisis drama ... dares to suggest that even the most flawed and confused human beings deserve compassionate understanding, and the failure to proffer it is a species of bestiality far more abhorrent than the sexual kind." Variety On his 50th birthday, Martin, a world-famous architect prepares for a recorded interview by an old friend in the TV business; but in the course of the conversation a secret emerges that threatens to turn celebration to tragedy. Edward Albee's black comedy offers a fascinating look at the limits liberal society can be pushed to, and asks the audience to question their beliefs, to examine their own bigoted views and reconsider their judgement of matters that may or may not be considered socially taboo. Winner of the 2002 Tony Award for Best Play, The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? is a hugely enjoyable parable that plumbs the deepest questions of social constraints on the individual expression of love. This Modern Classics edition features a new introduction by Toby Zinman.

Edward Albee was born in Virginia, 1928. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild Council and was awarded the Gold Medal in Drama from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1980, and in 1996 received the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts. His plays include The Zoo Story (1958), The American Dream (1960), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1961-62, Tony Award), A Delicate Balance (1966, Pulitzer Prize; 1996, Tony Award), Seascape (1974, Pulitzer Prize), The Lady from Dubuque (1977-78), Finding the Sun (1982), The Play About the Baby (1997), and The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? (2002, Desk Drama Award, Tony Award).

Far from writing a sensationalist play about bestiality, Albee is posing serious questions about the uncontrollable nature of human sexuality. * Guardian * The genius of the play is its refusal to pass judgement or champion a specific victim, which forces the audience to then address their own moral compass. * London Theatre Guide *