Bash: Latter-Day Plays
Encyclopedia
bash: latterday plays is a collection of three dark one act plays written by Neil LaBute
. Each play is an exploration of the complexities of evil in everyday life, and two of the works, "iphigenia in orem" and "medea redux" have direct Greek influence, specifically that of Euripides
. In production, these three short mono-duet dramas are sometimes presented in varying orders and sometimes omitting one or two of the works. In publication, however, the plays are presented in the following order: "iphigenia in orem" followed by "a gaggle of saints" and concluding with "medea redux". The plays premiered at the Douglas Fairbanks Theater in New York City
on June 24, 1999 and featured performances by Ron Eldard
, Calista Flockhart
and Paul Rudd
. They were later shown on cable television
. The play was later produced in 2003 by barebones productions
in a production directed by Jeff Cordell.
It later made its West End theatre
premiere on January 10, 2007 at the Trafalgar Studio 2, directed by Tamara Harvey and starring Harry Lloyd
, Juliet Rylance
, David Sturzaker
and Jodie Whittaker
.
The characters featured in each of these works come from different backgrounds of the Mormon religious tradition, a religion LaBute espoused before receiving religious discipline
(disfellowshipment) due to the defamatory nature of this play. He has since left the church.
The entire work runs for about 100 minutes.
of the play is a baby girl who is suffocated
by her father while she is asleep in her parents' bed. The man, who unwittingly has become the victim of a practical joke
by one of his workmates, sacrifice
s his daughter for a higher standard of living
when he takes at face value his colleague's news that he is going to be dismissed
.
The play is a monologue
addressed to an unseen person in a Las Vegas
hotel
room where the man has stopped during a business trip some years after the baby's murder. It takes the form of a confession
which is heavily interspersed with the murderer's rationalizations
for his deed.
. During the course of the monologue, John describes leaving Sue and the rest of the girls sleeping in the hotel room and coming across two middle-aged gay lovers (whom they had previously encountered earlier in the evening) in Central Park with his friends. The boys proceed to follow one of the men into a public bathroom and where they savagely beat the man seemingly to death before one of John's friends, Tim, offers up a short eulogy to the man. John and his two friends then go back to the hotel to call the girls down for breakfast where John tells the audience that Tim notices he has a noticeable amount of blood on his shirt. In an effort to make up a story for Sue, John has Tim break his nose in order to play off the injury and blood to Sue as his own mistake walking along the edge of a fountain. At breakfast, John presents Sue with a ring that he had stolen from the man they attacked in the Central Park restroom. At the end of the play, John and Sue interact for the first and only time on stage embracing one another and posing for a picture together as the flash of a camera bulb is heard and seen before going fading to black.
Neil LaBute
Neil N. LaBute is an American film director, screenwriter and playwright.-Early life:LaBute was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Marian, a hospital receptionist, and Richard LaBute, a long-haul truck driver. LaBute is of French Canadian, English and Irish ancestry, and was raised in Spokane,...
. Each play is an exploration of the complexities of evil in everyday life, and two of the works, "iphigenia in orem" and "medea redux" have direct Greek influence, specifically that of Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
. In production, these three short mono-duet dramas are sometimes presented in varying orders and sometimes omitting one or two of the works. In publication, however, the plays are presented in the following order: "iphigenia in orem" followed by "a gaggle of saints" and concluding with "medea redux". The plays premiered at the Douglas Fairbanks Theater in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on June 24, 1999 and featured performances by Ron Eldard
Ron Eldard
Ronald Jason "Ron" Eldard is an American actor.-Early life:Eldard, the second youngest of seven children , was born on Long Island, New York. Eldard's mother died in a car accident when he was a child, and Eldard and his siblings were sent to live with various family members...
, Calista Flockhart
Calista Flockhart
Calista Kay Flockhart is an American actress who is primarily recognized for her work in television. She is best known for playing the title character in the Fox comedy-drama series Ally McBeal for which she won a Golden Globe Award...
and Paul Rudd
Paul Rudd
Paul Stephen Rudd is an American actor and screenwriter. He has primarily appeared in comedies, and is known for his roles in the films Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Dinner for Schmucks, The Object of My...
. They were later shown on cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
. The play was later produced in 2003 by barebones productions
Barebones productions
barebones productions is a professional theatre company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania which produces contemporary plays. Its mission is to "facilitate the growth of local theater artists through the production of challenging, entertaining, thought-provoking plays and attracts new young theater...
in a production directed by Jeff Cordell.
It later made its West End theatre
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
premiere on January 10, 2007 at the Trafalgar Studio 2, directed by Tamara Harvey and starring Harry Lloyd
Harry Lloyd
Harry Lloyd is an English actor. He played Will Scarlet in the first two seasons of the BBC drama Robin Hood which began in 2006...
, Juliet Rylance
Juliet Rylance
Juliet Rylance is an Obie Award-winning English actress.-Personal life:Rylance was born Juliet van Kampen in Hammersmith, London to Claire van Kampen, a composer and Chris van Kampen, an architect. Her stepfather is the British actor and director Mark Rylance...
, David Sturzaker
David Sturzaker
David Sturzaker is an English actor born in Redruth in Cornwall, who played Dr. Simon Bond in the BBC soap, Doctors from 2009 to 2011.-Theatre:...
and Jodie Whittaker
Jodie Whittaker
Jodie Auckland Whittaker is an English actress, perhaps best known for her work in the film Venus . She also starred in the ITV1 series Marchlands playing the young Ruth who had lost her daughter Alice.-Career:...
.
The characters featured in each of these works come from different backgrounds of the Mormon religious tradition, a religion LaBute espoused before receiving religious discipline
Disciplinary council
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a disciplinary council is an ecclesiastical trial during which a member of the church is tried for alleged violations of church standards. If a member of the LDS Church is found guilty of an offence by a disciplinary council, he or she may be...
(disfellowshipment) due to the defamatory nature of this play. He has since left the church.
The entire work runs for about 100 minutes.
"iphigenia in orem"
The eponymous IphigeniaIphigeneia
Iphigenia is a daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra in Greek mythology. In Attic accounts, her name means "strong-born", "born to strength", or "she who causes the birth of strong offspring."-Post-Homeric Greek myth:...
of the play is a baby girl who is suffocated
Asphyxia
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of severely deficient supply of oxygen to the body that arises from being unable to breathe normally. An example of asphyxia is choking. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which primarily affects the tissues and organs...
by her father while she is asleep in her parents' bed. The man, who unwittingly has become the victim of a practical joke
Practical joke
A practical joke is a mischievous trick played on someone, typically causing the victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort. Practical jokes differ from confidence tricks in that the victim finds out, or is let in on the joke, rather than being fooled into handing over money or...
by one of his workmates, sacrifice
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is the offering of food, objects or the lives of animals or people to God or the gods as an act of propitiation or worship.While sacrifice often implies ritual killing, the term offering can be used for bloodless sacrifices of cereal food or artifacts...
s his daughter for a higher standard of living
Standard of living
Standard of living is generally measured by standards such as real income per person and poverty rate. Other measures such as access and quality of health care, income growth inequality and educational standards are also used. Examples are access to certain goods , or measures of health such as...
when he takes at face value his colleague's news that he is going to be dismissed
Termination of employment
-Involuntary termination:Involuntary termination is the employee's departure at the hands of the employer. There are two basic types of involuntary termination, known often as being "fired" and "laid off." To be fired, as opposed to being laid off, is generally thought of to be the employee's...
.
The play is a monologue
Monologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
addressed to an unseen person in a Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
room where the man has stopped during a business trip some years after the baby's murder. It takes the form of a confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
which is heavily interspersed with the murderer's rationalizations
Rationalization (psychology)
In psychology and logic, rationalization is an unconscious defense mechanism in which perceived controversial behaviors or feelings are logically justified and explained in a rational or logical manner in order to avoid any true explanation and made consciously tolerable by plausible means...
for his deed.
"a gaggle of saints"
Two attractive college-age adults, John and Sue, alternately address the audience, never speaking to each other. They relate the superficial details of a fancy party which they attended together in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. During the course of the monologue, John describes leaving Sue and the rest of the girls sleeping in the hotel room and coming across two middle-aged gay lovers (whom they had previously encountered earlier in the evening) in Central Park with his friends. The boys proceed to follow one of the men into a public bathroom and where they savagely beat the man seemingly to death before one of John's friends, Tim, offers up a short eulogy to the man. John and his two friends then go back to the hotel to call the girls down for breakfast where John tells the audience that Tim notices he has a noticeable amount of blood on his shirt. In an effort to make up a story for Sue, John has Tim break his nose in order to play off the injury and blood to Sue as his own mistake walking along the edge of a fountain. At breakfast, John presents Sue with a ring that he had stolen from the man they attacked in the Central Park restroom. At the end of the play, John and Sue interact for the first and only time on stage embracing one another and posing for a picture together as the flash of a camera bulb is heard and seen before going fading to black.