Zoo Story

This morning I got to pick a play for us to see! I chose Zoo Story, an American show written by Edward Albee in 1958. It's a one act with two characters that takes place on a park bench in New York City. Zoo Story has off the wall stories, psychological dialogue, and a violent ending. It deals with issues like human isolation, loneliness, class differences, and violence. It was actually really absurd- like a zoo.

Here's a quick synopsis of the play:

Peter is reading a book on a park bench in Central Park. He is well off, married with children, works at a textbook publishing house, and has two cats as well as two parakeets. Enter Jerry, a dark, strange, low class man. Jerry confronts Peter, starts to ask questions, and tells him stories. Peter is at first bothered, but later he is mesmerized, and Jerry's vivid stories pull Peter into Jerry's world. Jerry makes a point to tell personal details about his life, including the death of his parents and when he was homosexual for a week. Near the end of the sow , after a lot of quick dialogue, Peter has to defend himself with a knife when physically attacked by Jerry. Ultimately, Jerry's plans to end his own life become evident, and Peter is left at his favorite bench in the park.

We all loved this play so much, and it really blew our minds open. After the show, we went to go get some lunch. This was a nice morning. 

Posted by: Catherine