In February 1949, Arthur Miller’s essay “Tragedy and the Common Man” appeared in “The New York Times,” a mere two weeks after the premiere of his most acclaimed play, “Death of a Salesman.” Considered by some to be the justification for the “tragedy” of Willie Loman, the piece—which never mentions Loman or the play itself—nevertheless…
Arthur Miller’s ‘Tragedy and the Common Man’ From a Natural Theater Lens
Comedy and the Natural Theater
“Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.” These lines, attributed to actor Edmund Gwenn (Santa in the original “Miracle on 34th Street”), sum up the state of comedy today with one important twist. Given the state of contemporary humor: Dying is easy. Comedy is nonexistent. As a culture, we have been instructed not to laugh anymore…
Identifying Works of Natural Theater: Serious Plays
I have previously offered on these pages a description of the Natural Theater and how it is, as my first article asserted, the antidote to the Theater of Misery (where pessimism, hopelessness, and victimology are the human condition). I have also contended that plays from the classical era, such as “Oedipus Rex,” uniquely speak to…
‘Oedipus Rex’ and the Natural Theater
Sophocles’s “Oedipus Rex” predates us by approximately 2,500 years. By today’s standards, it should have little, if anything, to teach us. After all, it does not speak to the realities of contemporary life. And if we go by today’s “realities,” almost anything cultural or philosophical has the shelf life of a cellphone: We must trade…
The Antidote to the Theater of Misery: The Natural Theater
Look I know it’s not a perfect show . . . but none of that matters . . . it does what a musical is supposed to do . . . it gives you a little tune to carry in your head . . . A little something to help you escape from the dreary…
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