My Dead Playwright Could Beat Up Your Dead Playwright.

Interesting stuff going on over at Parabasis re: the most influential play of the last hunnerd years (or so). The Beckett/Chekov lines have been drawn, the winner itchin' to take on Ibsen.

I tossed Ubu Roi into the hat and, despite it's utter lack of reception and disqualification by date, I stand by it. I don't know that I'd want to put him up against either of the big guns, but Mamet, Kushner, Williams, and Miller? I'd set Jarry at least at their level of influence, and definitely above in a few cases.

But it seems that the discussion at hand is more concerned with influence on future playwrights, and I'm willing to cede that Jarry's influence was much stronger on other literary forms and even visual art than it was on theatre.

Eh, semantics -- merdre, I say!

P.Rekk
2007