How Odd

Six Characters in Search of an Author is, well, odd. The title told you what it was about from the get go, but we also learn a little about the family itself. The step-daughter and father are very dramatic characters and really take the stage. The step-daughter seemed almost like a small version of Hedda Gabler but that might just be me. The father annoyed me with his philosophizing, though. At first, it was amusing, but then it just seemed like he was rambling even if he was trying to get a point across. I feel bad for the poor manager for some reason. He is trying to keep his actors in line while trying to appease the characters and have their play happen. He really appears at his wit's end. The ending was the strangest though. After the child drowns and the boy kills himself, instead of worrying whether or not the children are really dead, he just laments over his loss of a rehearsal day. The fact that the play ended on such an odd note leaves me in a state of "um, what?". I may need to read this play a few more times to fully understand it. Until then, I did not hate this play, but it is certainly not in my top ten