Book Review: Christopher Durang Explains It All For You

Do you like twisted comedies? You like beating up people? Do you hate Catholicism? Do you love Sigourney Weaver? Then you will love Christopher Durang Explains It All For You.

This book is a compilation of six of Christopher Durang's plays: "The Nature and Purpose of the Universe", "'Dentity Crisis", "Titanic", "The Actor's Nightmare", "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You", and "Beyond Therapy". In reading through the plays in order they were presented, I noticed that the plays were becoming more "normal" or I was going "crazy".

"The Nature, etc, etc, etc" is a play about an f-ed up family and religion. There are agents of God who play most of the extraneous characters (even hookers) and the Mann family. The mother, Eleanor is continually beaten upon by her sons and husband. It's not supposed to be funny, but it is. We are supposed to feel sorry for Eleanor, and we do. Reading this play made me horrified at myself and that someone could write something so mean. Everyone in Eleanor's life walks all over her and kicks her ass. She has such a horrible life and wants to die until she is told by one of the agents of God that he is coming back to rescue her. I don't know if I should tell you if she escapes her horrible life. Redeeming Quality: I've never seen ass-kicking so vividly described and it makes you feel like you lived a normal life.

"Dentity Crisis" is the only play of this series that I've seen produced and I really enjoyed it. The audience is met with Jane, a young girl who has just tried to kill herself. We pity her. Then we meet her mother. Her mother, Edith Formage, invented cheese in France, she invents banana bread in front of your eyes by jamming a banana into several slices of bread. Then we meet Jane's brother/father/grandfather/lover, Robert. He is my favorite part and is a great character for any comedy actor. Durang writes this part so well that it is easy to delineate who the actor is protraying. Oh, by the way, Edith and Robert are lovers, in almost every form that he takes (gross). Then finally we meet Jane's therapist who has a sex change with his wife. No one believes Jane that none of this is normal, she is stuck in a cyclone of crazy. Does she get out? Redeeming Quality: The character of Robert. Extremely well written. Makes you feel like you're not crazy (unless you are, then you feel more crazy.) A fun, short read.

"Titanic" is the most sexually overt plays of the collection. Durang himself was known to burlesque his heart out, so it only makes sense. The play takes place on the Titanic. Everyone sleeps with everyone even if they are in the same family, or not. It's very confusing keeping track of Lidia's character and who she really is. Is she the daughter, the lesbian lover, the baby's mama, or the son's girlfriend? Obscuring the lines is something that Durang obviously likes to do in his plays, obviously just to mess with us or to make a statement. Lidia carries an animal in her vagina, too. Yes, he goes there: she feeds it. The Captain has may scenes with a dildo strapped to his face. This play is rated R. Redeeming Quality: The Captain's wife (who we never see) keeps running around the ship playing a sound cue record of ships hitting icebergs. Funny.

"The Actor's Nightmare": ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLAYS and most popular of Durang's works (it's normal-like too!) George Spelvin is an understudy, but he doesn't remember being an understudy. He just appears in a theater with no notion of how he got there, but everyone recognizes him. In the course of the show, he plays four different leading men, not knowing anything but basic, common knowledge of the plays. This is a wonderful role. I also love this play because there is a stage manager as a character. You can tell that Durang has fun writing this and poking fun at Noel Coward, Shakespeare, and Samuel Beckett. This play is extremely short and very witty. I recommend it. Redeeming Quality: Every single word of it. It's wonderful.

"Sister Mary Ignatious" is Durang's poke at Catholicism. We're at a presentation made by Sister. We meet Thomas her Catechism student. We see how brainwashed he is. We meet some old students and see how they turned out. No so good. They turn on Sister. I was kind of turned off by this play, but that could just my natural aversion to religion. Since I didn't grow up Catholic I think I miss a lot of what Durang is trying to say, unless of course it's, "religion can brainwash you". Redeeming Qualities: Sister is a great role for an older woman. The ending is quite surprising.

LASTLY, "Beyond Therapy": yet again, a lackluster play. This one is focused at relationships and therapy. What is healthy? What is normal? What are the boundaries between patient and doctor? How does a relationship function, basically? Why is a waiter never around when you need one? This play is about two people who go to therapy and meet each other through a personal ad. This play is about taking control of who you are and who you want to be. I wasn't very impressed or amused. Redeeming Quality: One of the therapists barks. (Crazy.)

All in all I will say this collection is interesting. It grossed me out. It bored me. It made me giggle. Made me want a cookie. That's not to bad. Also, Durang includes, with almost every play, his helpful hints about how to make the show a success. That's nice of him.

In a Nutshell: Borrow it from me and read "'Dentity Crisis" and "The Actor's Nightmare". Unless you're a crazy person or in a mental institution, then read all the others.