"Whoever has the gun, you see, gets to tell everyone else what to do. That's the American way"

"Un uomo, nel significato antico e perduto del termine... una scimmia vendicativa che uccide. Presto sarà estinta." (p. 140)

This is an underrated Vonnegut gem if I've ever read one. Such great dialogue is in this play. It made me lose my mind. The absolute absurdity and brutality of these characters all swirls about and forms a marvelous story that bites. So good.

I love Vonnegut, but this is a mess. I don't know if he was bored or tired or had simply run out of ideas following Slaughterhouse-5, but there is almost nothing to recommend this. The humor is juvenile, and the satire is simplistic and overly obvious. Vonnegut fans may want to read it simply to check it off the list, but if you are simply curious about Vonnegut, do not start here.

"I never made Eagle Scout. But you know something? It's a very strange kind of kid that makes Eagle Scout. They always seem so lonesome, like they'd worked real hard to get a job nobody cares about." --Looseleaf

"If I'd lived through the war, and they tried me for war crimes and all that, I'd have to tell the court, I guess, I was only following orders, as a good soldier should. Hitler told me to kill this guy with orange juice." --Von Konigswald

"It was almost worth the trip--to find out that Jesus Christ in Heaven was just another guy, playing shuffleboard. I like his sense of humor, though--you know? He's got a blue-and-gold warm-up jacket he wears. You know what it says on the back? Pontius Pilate Athletic Club. Most people don't get it. Most people think there really is a Pontius Pilate Athletic Club. --Von Konigswald

I had no idea how much, stylistically, this play had in common with my favorite play ever (Stupid Fucking Bird by Aaron Posner) and man do I love how much Kurt Vonnegut and Wes Anderson remind me of each other.

HAROLD: Whoever has the gun, you see, gets to tell everyone else what to do. It's the American way.

In the comments to Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut writes about how he came back from the war, from POW camp, from watching Dresden burn to the ground, and was told by a relative "now that you've killed, you're a man." He wasn't pleased. Happy Birthday, Wanda June comes partly from that.

As chance would have it, I just rewatched Scenes From a Marraige, and the parallels are curious. Two middle-aged men trying to figure out the new masculinity post-2nd wave feminism and hoping that the future won't be as disgustingly macho. It's not a comparison that does Vonnegut any favours, and I suppose there's a reason he didn't go into plays full-time. That said, as Odyssey rewrites go, it's got a certain small-scale charm as it tackles machismo and hope in a new generation. Yeah, that worked out.

I don't think the author did as well with the play format as he did with the novels and short stories.

I'm not surprised that Vonnegut chose to set Penelope's half of the Odyssey in the military build-up period of the 1950s. In many ways, it's very apt, as the conventions of Penelope's society don't allow her freedom to rule in ancient Greece or in the more modern suburbs. However, the choice of making her returning husband Harold Ryan a game hunter seemed less apropos to me. Why not just make him a general? Of course, I shouldn't quibble too much with the surrealities of the story; it was written by Vonnegut, and so does contain a birthday cake made to celebrate a dead girl, only to have it given to Ryan in honor of his birth. A fitting symbol against war.

However, the play is three acts when the reader clearly receives the point in two. And while Vonnegut has a way with a phrase, his strength doesn't rely in specific characterization; it relies on satire, on commentary. And while this is a dependable satire, it is not necessarily a deep or surprising one. Much more can be gleaned from his novels and their attacks on how humanity works against itself.

It was interesting to see Kurt Vonnegut switch from novellas to a stage play and how he managed it. For the most part, his trademark style and humor carry over well. I enjoyed the story and dialogue and found it a relatively quick read (probably even faster if you're not a veterinary medicine student with limited time). I'd recommend it for anyone looking for a quick read and an interesting story.

A pretty good play. A tad unconventional but an easy read and filled with Vonnegut's usual humour.

An effective, if heavy handed, rebuke of violence, war and toxic masculinity.