Oh look, a play featuring a bunch of dysfunctional people won the Pulitzer. How very shocking.

"Buried Child", the 1979 winner of the Pulitzer Prize, underlines my belief that the Pulitzer Committee should stop recognizing plays about dysfunctional families for a decade or two. I understand that families can be strange. They were strange in the ’60s with "A Delicate Balance". They were strange in the ’80s with "Crimes of the Heart". And indeed, they were still strange in the 2000s with "August: Osage County". For that matter, they were strange way back with "Hamlet" and that whole Ghost Dad thing.

Weird, dysfunctional families can have their place in drama, but they should be the side dish and not the main course. There needs to be a greater conflict, a more intense tension than just "families are weird and let’s watch messed-up people talk at each other for two hours." "Proof" is a great play, in part because the dysfunction emphasizes a story about mental illness. "Side Man" is another that prominently features a dysfunctional family but uses it as a springboard into a deeper narrative. And, of course, "Hamlet" also uses the dysfunctional family as the backdrop rather than the primary focus, which should perhaps serve as a lesson to playwrights.

"Buried Child" hints at the idea of a larger story, but it never quite gets there. In fact, that’s the shortcoming of all three plays in this collection. They feel like the jottings of a college freshman who wants to be seen as extremely brilliant but doesn’t want to take the time to revise. All three plays have potential, but all three are also受限 by the modernist, deconstructionist tendencies of mid-century American theatre. Intellectually and artistically, I can appreciate the desire that playwrights had to push the boundaries and structures of drama. It’s just that I don't think this exercise has withstood the test of time. Not recommended.

*Suicide in B Flat*

This play presents a captivating permutation within Shepard's body of work. His growing fascination with the synthesis of talent, legend, and myth is on full display here. It is not quite as successful as "Angel City," mainly because it overstays its welcome. This is, I believe, one of his longer one-act plays. However, despite this shortcoming, it is just as indicative of Shepard's maturation as a dramatist. The themes explored in "Suicide in B Flat" delve deep into the human psyche, touching on aspects such as identity, longing, and the search for meaning. Shepard's unique style of writing, with its vivid imagery and powerful dialogue, draws the audience in and keeps them engaged throughout. Although it may not be his most flawless work, it still holds great value and offers a glimpse into the mind of a brilliant playwright.

Overall, "Suicide in B Flat" is an important piece in Shepard's oeuvre, contributing to our understanding of his artistic evolution and the complex themes he was constantly exploring.

Thanks to my GR friend Tajma, I had the opportunity to read Buried Child shortly after Pinter's The Homecoming.

The parallels between the two plays, especially through the first two acts, were quite obvious. However, in the third act, the plot of Buried Child takes a different turn, particularly regarding the fate of the homecoming son.

Buried Child won the Pulitzer in 1979, and it truly deserved this honor for all aspects of its brilliant writing. The almost-monologues in the play sound natural and not just expository, although one comes close. The dialogue and action are often humorous, yet in a very dark and sometimes absurd way.

The horror at the heart of this family, which is ironically thought to be Norman-Rockwellian by an outsider before she enters the abode, is revealed slowly and complexly. Just like with my favorite writing of any kind, not everything is explained, and I'm still pondering over it.

In the second play of this volume, Seduced, the character of Henry Hackamore could have been one of Tennessee Williams' eccentrics. I quickly realized that Howard Hughes is the obvious inspiration, not only because they share the same initials.

Although Seduced had its moments and, like Buried Child, speaks to the hollowness of the so-called American dream, it was easily my least favorite of the trio.

To continue my comparisons to other playwrights (limited as my knowledge is), the first two characters we encounter in Suicide in B Flat immediately brought to mind the bumbling pair of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and later the duo of Beckett's Waiting for Godot.

Suicide in B Flat quickly becomes more, as characters seem to change places with each other and repeat actions and themes in the manner of jazz improvisations, a major motif. Shepard seems to be attempting, as one of the characters says, \\"visual music.\\" When the twist arrives (along with the mysterious musician Niles), it is both unexpected and obvious.

Overall, this collection of plays by Sam Shepard offers a diverse range of themes, characters, and styles that keep the reader engaged and thinking long after the final page has been turned.

I don't know precisely how many times I have read "Buried Child." Easily, it's over half a dozen times. However, this play always manages to feel completely fresh to me. During this latest reading, Vince's girlfriend Shelly was especially vivid in my mind. The mystery surrounding the identity of the buried child didn't seem cryptic at all. I would definitely rank this play as one of my absolute favorite Shepard plays. It is an epic that holds as much importance in the American theatrical canon as "A Streetcar Named Desire" or "Long Day's Journey Into Night."

As for the other two pieces included in this collection, each one brings forth very specific memories. "Suicide in B Flat" transports me back to my sophomore year in college. I was cast as a hyperventilating gumshoe. There were so many monologues filled with exclamation points! I also specifically remember carrying a hard-boiled egg around in my mouth and navigating an oddly raked stage. Additionally, I recall that the two detectives likely get their names from the composer Luis de Pablo.

Regarding "Seduced," that one reminds me of a former friend of mine. He played the Howard Hughes role in a Houston production despite only being in his 20s. I never got to see that performance. And unfortunately, I never see him anymore either.