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Theatre Topics 13.2 (2003) 253-254



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Worthy But Neglected: Plays of the Mint Theater Company. Edited by Jonathan Bank. New York: Granville Press, 2002; pp. v + 352. $15.95 paper.

In this anthology, Jonathan Bank, artistic director of New York City's Mint Theater Company, has unearthed seven American and British dramatic treasures from the early twentieth century: Mr. Pim Passes By (A.A. Milne; 1920); The House of Mirth (Edith Wharton and Clyde Fitch; 1906); Alison's House (Susan Glaspell; 1931); Miss Lulu Bett (Zona Gale; 1921); Welcome to Our City (Thomas Wolfe; 1923); Diana of Dobson's (Cicely Hamilton; 1908); and Rutherford and Son (Githa Sowerby; 1912). Until Bank mounted these plays at the Mint in the late 1990s and early 2000s, they had scarcely been produced, if at all, since their premieres. Though once forgotten, these plays strike a chord with contemporary audiences by grappling with a variety of relevant topics: How are race relations influenced by economics? What are women's opportunities and responsibilities in the work force? To what extent are children obligated to follow in the footsteps of their parents? How do artists shape our society, even after they are dead? These are a few of the thought-provoking questions with which this collection challenges its readers.

Bank introduces the anthology by describing how he first encountered each of the plays and why he chose to produce them, explaining the Mint's worthwhile mission of presenting lesser known, historical works in the fringe theatre market. If Bank's introduction reads partly as a manifesto for his company and partly as an advertisement for his anthology, it is also persuasive and compelling.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the plays in this anthology is their social commentary and criticism. Milne's play, Mr. Pim Passes By, for example, calls social norms and ethics into question by exploring the tensions between a married couple who are forced to confront a relationship from their past. While Milne's play echoes A Doll's House in its narrative premise, its comic style more closely resembles Wilde's. In other plays, social critique is more pointed. Wolfe's Welcome to Our City addresses the racially and economically motivated forces that threaten to displace the African American population from a North Carolina settlement called "Niggertown." Together, the plays of this anthology take up issues of identity, race, gender, economics, and class disparity that are surprisingly and disturbingly current. It should be noted, too, that of the eight playwrights represented here, five are women. Of these, two received Pulitzer Prizes for their plays included here: Gale in 1921 and Glaspell in 1931. Representations of women in this anthology are multi-layered and complex, and the questions raised about women's rights and social power lend the collection an especially contemporary quality.

Individual introductions to each play are helpful in placing them in specific historical contexts. Each introduction is written by a theatrical expert involved with the Mint's production of the plays, including directors, an actor, and a historian. The introductions briefly address the rationale behind certain artistic choices made in production, why the play might have "disappeared" for so long, and how the play resonates with present-day audiences. These short passages that provide dramaturgical background and discuss the contemporary reception of the Mint's production of each play are one of the anthology's greatest strengths.

It is worth pointing out that these texts represent versions of the plays that the Mint used for its productions. Three of the plays printed here are actually adaptations: The House of Mirth (Bank), Miss Lulu Bett (James B. Nicola), and Welcome to Our City (Bank). This is particularly significant in the case of The House of Mirth, for instance, in which Bank adds dialogue from Wharton's novel and rejects two of Wharton and Fitch's drafted endings in favor of the novel's ending. Nicola also restores the original ending of Miss Lulu Bett, rejecting the "happy" ending that Gale, under public pressure, introduced two weeks after the play...

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