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... This is their lifeblood, defensible unto death. ... Or is it about death? Is it the death of a society and a valiant and
vain attempt to hold on to the old ways that is the thrust of this narrative? ...
Sister Mary Hitler—A Journal Response
Fall–down funny and murderously mirthful, this shark–toothed satire skewers the rigidity of Catholic teaching and its methods in the 20th century prior to the enactment of reforms. The absurd humor, delivered by a zany cast of characters, centers chiefly on Sister Mary whose unwavering fanatical faith paves the way for the unpredictable events that propel us to doom and disaster at breakneck speed.
For reasons unclear, an audience is assembled to listen to Sister Mary explain the vagaries of life in a manner that will clarify Everything for now and forever. ... Sister Mary is delusional, immutable, and in the beginning, unflappable. Her sidekick is a seven–year–old acolyte that has been subjected to Sister Mary’s form of mind control just long enough to perform in a predictably robotic manner. ... Enter a group of former students who perform a Christmas pageant that was an annual ritual when they were mesmerized by Mary. ... Sister Mary is the culprit and revenge in the form of embarrassment is planned. All spins out of control when Diane, the most deeply wounded of the quartet, announces her intentions to dispatch Sister Mary to her eternal reward. ... Sister Mary has everything under control. All has been explained—to the satisfaction of Sister Mary. ... Any person who was exposed to the teaching of the Catholic Church in this era knew a Sister Mary. ...
When Sister Mary pulled a gun from her habit it was shocking, surprising, and pure slapstick Unforgettable. ... This contrasts marvelously with the purity and innocence of Sister Mary as the play begins. ... The world may be entirely predicable according to Sister Mary but there is a satisfying irony expressed in her own unpredictability. ...
A final thought: societal rituals trampled by Albee in The Zoo Story culminated in violent death. Sister Mary… lampoons sacred rituals and death is doubled. ... The Zoo Story has a motif of intrusion on actions—living a life; rote performance; daily deeds; predictable and repetitive responses. Sister Mary… includes these conjoined with a motif of intrusion into spirituality—challenging core beliefs; attacking unassailable truths; debunking divinity; striking down sincerity. Both plays tamper with our tranquility. ...
The Zoo Story—A Journal Response
Albee’s The Zoo Story is at once dark, disturbing, too real, and an idiom for the interrelationships thrust upon sapiens strata and subspecies. It is a Zoo out there. ...
Central Park, NY and allusions to the zoo are metaphorical. ... Is this unburdening an act of “ritual cleansing” before death as critics Brooks Atkinson’s and Mary Castle Anderson’s comments suggest to me? ... ’ This may lead to either self–destruction or the destruction of the object as in The Zoo Story and Everything in the Garden.
Approximate Word count = 2744
Approximate Pages = 11
(250 words per page double spaced)
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