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The Skin of Our Teeth
A timeless statement about human foibles . . . and human endurance, this beautiful new edition features Wilder's unpublished production notes, diary entries, and other illuminating documentary material, all of which is included in a new Afterword by Tappan Wilder.
Time magazine called The Skin of Our Teeth "a sort of Hellzapoppin' with brains," as it broke from established theatrical conventions and walked off with the 1943 Pulitzer Prize for Best Drama. Combining farce, burlesque, and satire (among other styles), Thornton Wilder departs from his studied use of nostalgia and sentiment in Our Town to have an Eternal Family narrowly escape one disaster after another, from ancient times to the present. Meet George and Maggie Antrobus (married only 5,000 years); their two children, Gladys and Henry (perfect in every way!); and their maid, Sabina (the ageless vamp) as they overcome ice, flood, and war -- by the skin of their teeth.
Time magazine called The Skin of Our Teeth "a sort of Hellzapoppin' with brains," as it broke from established theatrical conventions and walked off with the 1943 Pulitzer Prize for Best Drama. Combining farce, burlesque, and satire (among other styles), Thornton Wilder departs from his studied use of nostalgia and sentiment in Our Town to have an Eternal Family narrowly escape one disaster after another, from ancient times to the present. Meet George and Maggie Antrobus (married only 5,000 years); their two children, Gladys and Henry (perfect in every way!); and their maid, Sabina (the ageless vamp) as they overcome ice, flood, and war -- by the skin of their teeth.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1942
About the author
Thornton Wilder
154 books451 followersThornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. He received three Pulitzer Prizes, one for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and two for his plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth, and a National Book Award for his novel The Eighth Day.
For more see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thornton...
For more see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thornton...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 165 reviews
April 11, 2023
این نمایشنامه قلب و جون من رو تسخیر کرد...
«خب ما اینجا هستیم! تاحالا که تونستیم زنده بمونیم. مبارزه‌ی تن به تن با مرگ و زندگی، چه چاق و چه لاغر. اگر زیر پای دایناسورها له نشیم. اگر ملخ‌ها دمار از روزگار باغمون در نیارن. همه‌مون روزهای بهتری رو خواهیم دید. انگار هر کودک تازه متولدشده، انگیزه‌ی کافی برای به حرکت درآوردن کل جهان رو داره و هر کودکی که تازه می‌میره، از غم و اندوه کل جهان در امان مونده. اینکه آخر جهان چی میشه، سؤالیه که هنوز بی‌پاسخ مونده. هستیم دیگه، روزگار گرم و سرد داره، همینیه که هست...»
«زمین جای احمقانه‌ای شده و تعجبی نداره که خورشید سرد بشه.»
«چه‌کاری از من برمی‌آد؟ هیچ کاری از ما ساخته نیست، به‌جز سوزوندن هر چیزی که تو خونه داریم. حتی حصارهای انبار رو باید فدای روشن نگه‌داشتن آتش کرد. وقتی آتش شعله‌ای نداشته باشه، ما هم خواهیم مُرد.»
«این مردم چیز زیادی نمی‌خوان. به قحطی و گرسنگی عادت دارن. روی زمین هم می‌خوابن. تازه، مگی گوش کن. نه، گوش کن، ما کی رو تو این خونه داریم، به‌جز سابینا؟ سابینا همیشه به بدترین اتفاق‌ها فکر می‌کنه. اصلا می‌تونه روحیه‌ی ما رو عوض کنه؟ می‌تونه دلداری‌مون بده؟ مگی، این آدم‌ها هرگز تسلیم نمی‌شن. اون‌ها فکر می‌کنن تا ابد زنده می‌مونن و کار می‌کنن.»
«میشه لطفاً صندلی‌هاتون رو به ما تحویل بدین؟ برای شعله‌ور نگه داشتن آتش باید همه‌چیز رو بسوزونیم. می‌خوایم نسل بشر رو نجات بدیم.»
«به گمانم می‌توانم پیشگویی دقیقی داشته باشم. با عدم اطمینان کامل، روزگاری با آرامش خاطر در راه است.»
«همه‌ی کارهایی که می‌کنیم، همینه! شروع دوباره‌ی همیشگی. دوباره و دوباره. شروع دوباره‌ی همیشگی.
از کجا بدونیم بهتر از قبل میشه؟ چرا تظاهر می‌کنیم؟ به‌هر حال، یه روزی هوای کل زمین سرد میشه و تا اون زمان همه‌چیز دوباره اتفاق می‌افته: جنگ‌های بیشتری شروع میشه، دیوارهای یخی بیشتر، سیل و زلزله‌ی بیشتر.»
«آه، هرگز فراموشم نشده که زندگی یک مبارزه است. می‌دونم همه‌ی چیزهای خوب جهان روی لبه‌ی تیز چاقو قرار داره، هر لحظه در خطره و باید براش مبارزه کرد. چه مزرعه باشه، چه خونه و یا میهن.»
«اینجا، جاییه که شما اومدین و ما مجبوریم برای دوره‌ها و عصرها همچنان ادامه بدیم. شما بفرمایید به منزلتون. پایان این نمایش هنوز نوشته نشده...»
«خب ما اینجا هستیم! تاحالا که تونستیم زنده بمونیم. مبارزه‌ی تن به تن با مرگ و زندگی، چه چاق و چه لاغر. اگر زیر پای دایناسورها له نشیم. اگر ملخ‌ها دمار از روزگار باغمون در نیارن. همه‌مون روزهای بهتری رو خواهیم دید. انگار هر کودک تازه متولدشده، انگیزه‌ی کافی برای به حرکت درآوردن کل جهان رو داره و هر کودکی که تازه می‌میره، از غم و اندوه کل جهان در امان مونده. اینکه آخر جهان چی میشه، سؤالیه که هنوز بی‌پاسخ مونده. هستیم دیگه، روزگار گرم و سرد داره، همینیه که هست...»
«زمین جای احمقانه‌ای شده و تعجبی نداره که خورشید سرد بشه.»
«چه‌کاری از من برمی‌آد؟ هیچ کاری از ما ساخته نیست، به‌جز سوزوندن هر چیزی که تو خونه داریم. حتی حصارهای انبار رو باید فدای روشن نگه‌داشتن آتش کرد. وقتی آتش شعله‌ای نداشته باشه، ما هم خواهیم مُرد.»
«این مردم چیز زیادی نمی‌خوان. به قحطی و گرسنگی عادت دارن. روی زمین هم می‌خوابن. تازه، مگی گوش کن. نه، گوش کن، ما کی رو تو این خونه داریم، به‌جز سابینا؟ سابینا همیشه به بدترین اتفاق‌ها فکر می‌کنه. اصلا می‌تونه روحیه‌ی ما رو عوض کنه؟ می‌تونه دلداری‌مون بده؟ مگی، این آدم‌ها هرگز تسلیم نمی‌شن. اون‌ها فکر می‌کنن تا ابد زنده می‌مونن و کار می‌کنن.»
«میشه لطفاً صندلی‌هاتون رو به ما تحویل بدین؟ برای شعله‌ور نگه داشتن آتش باید همه‌چیز رو بسوزونیم. می‌خوایم نسل بشر رو نجات بدیم.»
«به گمانم می‌توانم پیشگویی دقیقی داشته باشم. با عدم اطمینان کامل، روزگاری با آرامش خاطر در راه است.»
«همه‌ی کارهایی که می‌کنیم، همینه! شروع دوباره‌ی همیشگی. دوباره و دوباره. شروع دوباره‌ی همیشگی.
از کجا بدونیم بهتر از قبل میشه؟ چرا تظاهر می‌کنیم؟ به‌هر حال، یه روزی هوای کل زمین سرد میشه و تا اون زمان همه‌چیز دوباره اتفاق می‌افته: جنگ‌های بیشتری شروع میشه، دیوارهای یخی بیشتر، سیل و زلزله‌ی بیشتر.»
«آه، هرگز فراموشم نشده که زندگی یک مبارزه است. می‌دونم همه‌ی چیزهای خوب جهان روی لبه‌ی تیز چاقو قرار داره، هر لحظه در خطره و باید براش مبارزه کرد. چه مزرعه باشه، چه خونه و یا میهن.»
«اینجا، جاییه که شما اومدین و ما مجبوریم برای دوره‌ها و عصرها همچنان ادامه بدیم. شما بفرمایید به منزلتون. پایان این نمایش هنوز نوشته نشده...»
February 12, 2016
Our Town, 1938 - Thorny Wilder omits the alcoholism, adultry, incest, perversion, abuse, insanity, theft, corruption in his rose-tinted white, Christian, middle-class humbug that engaged, once upon a time, Americans. Then came 1942, and the fantasist was back again, as the world shook to the most savage war of all. Thorny still wore his rosy specs in this tomfool spoof of come-wot-may Man Shall Always Survive. Only the middle-brows were bewildered. Everyone else saw it as a simpleton's feelgoody -- what's difficult to understand?
The play succeeded because of Tallulah Bankhead as the eternal maid-mistress - no other reason. Her personality, looks, voice, and comic skills gave wit and theatricality to the absurdist venture, which closed when she left the cast. It's now done by schools and amateurs who need to feel academic. This history lesson is now dated, corny and its message -- we'll always survive, haha, by the skin of our teeth, is irrelevant and pessimistic. Who sez the human race should survive -- and Why?
The play succeeded because of Tallulah Bankhead as the eternal maid-mistress - no other reason. Her personality, looks, voice, and comic skills gave wit and theatricality to the absurdist venture, which closed when she left the cast. It's now done by schools and amateurs who need to feel academic. This history lesson is now dated, corny and its message -- we'll always survive, haha, by the skin of our teeth, is irrelevant and pessimistic. Who sez the human race should survive -- and Why?
February 10, 2017
به قول عزيزي كه از شكسپير نقل ميكرد:
The violent fire consumes itself fast
نمايشنامه براي دوره اي كه توش نوشته شده خيلي آوانگاره و وايلدر بخاطرش پوليتزر برده ولي
معلومه كه وايلدر هم دچار سرنوشت گوركي و شاو و سامرست موام ميشه اگر تا حالا نشده باشه.
نمايشنامه در سه پرده با اختلاف زماني زياد اتفاق ميفته و مروري بر تاريخ بشريت از زمان آدم تا پايان احتمالي جنگ جهاني دومه ...
پر از المانهاي متادراما و فاصله گذاريه، بازيگرا از نقششون بيرون ميان، كارگردان مياد وسط صحنه و ... و از اين جهت ميشه گفت بايد اجرا بشه و نه خونده، خلاصه كه اگر خونديد و بخش زياديشو نفهميديد كاملا طبيعيه ظاهرن.
پ.ن. چرا تو ايران كاراي وايلدر نه ترجمه شدن نه اجرا؟!
پ.پ.ن. خيلي بين سه و چهار ستاره دو دل بودم ولي يه كشش شديد دروني كه به سمت چيزاي غيرعادي دارم باعث شد چهار بدم!
پ.پ.پ.ن. تا حالا راجع به هيچ كتابي انقدر توضيح نداده بودما!
The violent fire consumes itself fast
نمايشنامه براي دوره اي كه توش نوشته شده خيلي آوانگاره و وايلدر بخاطرش پوليتزر برده ولي
معلومه كه وايلدر هم دچار سرنوشت گوركي و شاو و سامرست موام ميشه اگر تا حالا نشده باشه.
نمايشنامه در سه پرده با اختلاف زماني زياد اتفاق ميفته و مروري بر تاريخ بشريت از زمان آدم تا پايان احتمالي جنگ جهاني دومه ...
پر از المانهاي متادراما و فاصله گذاريه، بازيگرا از نقششون بيرون ميان، كارگردان مياد وسط صحنه و ... و از اين جهت ميشه گفت بايد اجرا بشه و نه خونده، خلاصه كه اگر خونديد و بخش زياديشو نفهميديد كاملا طبيعيه ظاهرن.
پ.ن. چرا تو ايران كاراي وايلدر نه ترجمه شدن نه اجرا؟!
پ.پ.ن. خيلي بين سه و چهار ستاره دو دل بودم ولي يه كشش شديد دروني كه به سمت چيزاي غيرعادي دارم باعث شد چهار بدم!
پ.پ.پ.ن. تا حالا راجع به هيچ كتابي انقدر توضيح نداده بودما!
February 3, 2022
Irgendwas ist ja immer, und die "große brüderliche Kampf- und Beerdigungsgesellschaft" Menschheit wurschtelt sich von Katastrophe zu Katastrophe; einmal war es die Eiszeit, ein anderes mal Krieg und Corona. Ob wir allerdings noch eine Bruderschaft sind, die im Zweifelsfall zusammenhält, darf bezweifelt werden. Aktuell jedenfalls ist unser Erregungspotenzial (man mag auch von Sensibilität sprechen) so gigantisch, dass manche Freundschaft mit Freuden über einen kleinlichen Disput geopfert wird, wenn dahinter nur ein normatives Dogma steht. Ob die Spaltung der Gesellschaft erfolgreich herbeigeredet wird - man wird sehen.
WIR SIND NOCH EINMAL DAVON GEKOMMEN ist ein absurdes Theaterstück, das vor Kalauern (" Henry Antrobus ist ein richtiger, waschechter amerikanischer Junge. Er wird in diesen Tagen sein Abschlußexamen machen, falls sie bis dahin das Alphabet vereinfacht haben sollten.") nur so strotzt. Strotzt es auch vor Optimismus? Auf jeden Fall verläuft in ihm die Geschichte zyklisch und man darf an Giambattista Vico denken, der auch in FINNEGANS WAKE präsent ist.
Ich wusste bislang nicht, dass sich Thornton Wilder sehr mit Joyce und FW beschäftigt hat und war auch überrascht, denn stilistisch gibt es zwischen diesen Autoren kaum Gemeinsamkeiten. Und doch: Der Rückgriff auf Arche=Typen und Homer und Moses zeigt ein gemeinsames Interesse.
A Tour of the Darkling Plain: The Finnegans Wake Letters of Thornton Wilder and Adaline Glasheen steht nun jedenfalls auf meiner Wunschliste und ich freue mich schon drauf.
Was die Bewertung angeht: Als Schüler mochte ich das Theaterstück sehr und habe es aus der Erinnerung heraus mit vier Sternen bewertet. Wer es heute zum ersten Mal liest oder sieht (wird es eigentlich noch aufgeführt?), wird vermutlich einen weniger positiven Eindruck haben. Die Rollenverteilung zwischen Mann und Frau lässt sich allenfalls historisch vertreten und die Witze wirken gelegentlich etwas platt. Trotzdem will ich die einmal aus der Erinnerung vergebene Bewertung nicht nach unten korrigieren, denn letztlich ist das Besternungssystem ziemlicher Quatsch.
WIR SIND NOCH EINMAL DAVON GEKOMMEN ist ein absurdes Theaterstück, das vor Kalauern (" Henry Antrobus ist ein richtiger, waschechter amerikanischer Junge. Er wird in diesen Tagen sein Abschlußexamen machen, falls sie bis dahin das Alphabet vereinfacht haben sollten.") nur so strotzt. Strotzt es auch vor Optimismus? Auf jeden Fall verläuft in ihm die Geschichte zyklisch und man darf an Giambattista Vico denken, der auch in FINNEGANS WAKE präsent ist.
Ich wusste bislang nicht, dass sich Thornton Wilder sehr mit Joyce und FW beschäftigt hat und war auch überrascht, denn stilistisch gibt es zwischen diesen Autoren kaum Gemeinsamkeiten. Und doch: Der Rückgriff auf Arche=Typen und Homer und Moses zeigt ein gemeinsames Interesse.
A Tour of the Darkling Plain: The Finnegans Wake Letters of Thornton Wilder and Adaline Glasheen steht nun jedenfalls auf meiner Wunschliste und ich freue mich schon drauf.
Was die Bewertung angeht: Als Schüler mochte ich das Theaterstück sehr und habe es aus der Erinnerung heraus mit vier Sternen bewertet. Wer es heute zum ersten Mal liest oder sieht (wird es eigentlich noch aufgeführt?), wird vermutlich einen weniger positiven Eindruck haben. Die Rollenverteilung zwischen Mann und Frau lässt sich allenfalls historisch vertreten und die Witze wirken gelegentlich etwas platt. Trotzdem will ich die einmal aus der Erinnerung vergebene Bewertung nicht nach unten korrigieren, denn letztlich ist das Besternungssystem ziemlicher Quatsch.
May 29, 2020
This landed on my list because I love "Our Town". . .this really couldn't be farther from that mark in my view.
It's kind of like those books where Greek Gods (or Roman, depends on the book you've picked up) are mixing and mingling in the current-ish era and are mostly dissatisfied with the lack of attention and worship they are not getting these days. They are wistful for past days. . .the family in this story is like this, although they are not gods exactly, just very long-lived. Anyway, the tale goes from the moment of creation through the moment the author's writing utensil hit paper and we are off in a Micheneresque way through time at a full waddle. Oy veh.
There was a note of explanation at the end, picking up and praising the long forward that explained what the reader was about to read. Which mostly seemed to be pointing to the larger, slightly humorous (within the context of mid-century humor values), quirky message of the resiliency of mankind. Well, I definitely got the message that mankind rather resembles a cockroach in his abilities to persist and be positive about it (on the stupid side, I think?). All the cynicism, hopelessness, and lack of redemption. . . .is it predestination? I'm I digging deeply in the wrong pond? The price is just too high to try and mine a meaning out this one.
Anyway, I have my hands in front of me and am backing slowly away from TNW work currently in my list for the time being. I welcome any rejoinders, feedback or wisdom of the GR community on that score.
2 stars. Maybe it's just me not getting it. But. . .?
It's kind of like those books where Greek Gods (or Roman, depends on the book you've picked up) are mixing and mingling in the current-ish era and are mostly dissatisfied with the lack of attention and worship they are not getting these days. They are wistful for past days. . .the family in this story is like this, although they are not gods exactly, just very long-lived. Anyway, the tale goes from the moment of creation through the moment the author's writing utensil hit paper and we are off in a Micheneresque way through time at a full waddle. Oy veh.
There was a note of explanation at the end, picking up and praising the long forward that explained what the reader was about to read. Which mostly seemed to be pointing to the larger, slightly humorous (within the context of mid-century humor values), quirky message of the resiliency of mankind. Well, I definitely got the message that mankind rather resembles a cockroach in his abilities to persist and be positive about it (on the stupid side, I think?). All the cynicism, hopelessness, and lack of redemption. . . .is it predestination? I'm I digging deeply in the wrong pond? The price is just too high to try and mine a meaning out this one.
Anyway, I have my hands in front of me and am backing slowly away from TNW work currently in my list for the time being. I welcome any rejoinders, feedback or wisdom of the GR community on that score.
2 stars. Maybe it's just me not getting it. But. . .?
May 2, 2011
The Skin of Our Teeth is a delightful, confusing mishmash of eras, telling the story of an American family who has weathered the Ice Age, Noah's flood, and war. The parents have been married for over 5,000 years and gave birth to Cain and Abel; the father invented the wheel, the alphabet, and chose Miss Atlantic City 1942. Every page in the book is thick with allusion, from the Muse sisters to the maid Sabina (who was raped; Wikipedia). I'm not sure I understood the half of it, but it was fun to read, and I think it's the sort of play that benefits from repeated readings. It's definitely something I'd like to read again later on.
January 4, 2014
The one line that sums up the entire play:
"have you milked the mammoth yet?"
Surreal, Meta beyond belief, occasionally harrowing, often hilarious, non-comprehensible half the time...but Wilder is a master at endings, and everything suddenly makes sense in the last ten pages. He's a master of exploring cosmic themes through everyday life.
"have you milked the mammoth yet?"
Surreal, Meta beyond belief, occasionally harrowing, often hilarious, non-comprehensible half the time...but Wilder is a master at endings, and everything suddenly makes sense in the last ten pages. He's a master of exploring cosmic themes through everyday life.
September 29, 2017
First sentence: Announcer: The management takes pleasure in bringing to you--The News Events of the World:
Premise/plot: The Skin of Our Teeth is an always absurd, sometimes amusing, frequently head-scratching play that won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1943. It stars Mr. and Mrs. Antrobus, a couple who've been married for 5,000+ years, their two children Henry and Gladys, and their 'maid' Sabina. Each of the three acts has its own peculiar setting. The acts do not seem--to me, at least--to be connected to one another to tell a cohesive story. Each act has its own beginning, middle, and end. So the whole play is like three little stories sharing some of the same characters, some of the same themes. The 'theme' is surviving 'by the skin of your teeth.' The running gag, of sorts, is that this couple is "Adam" and "Eve" and Henry is "Cain."
The first act is 'the end of the world' by ice. The second act is 'the end of the world' by flood. The third act is 'end of the world' by war.
My thoughts: What a strange, strange play! Sabina, the "maid," is the scene stealer. In each of the three acts, she breaks character throughout and speaks directly to the audience. She reminds everyone THIS IS A PLAY. THIS IS A PLAY THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. I'M A PART OF THE PLAY. BUT I'M A REAL PERSON TOO. In the second act, for example, Sabina breaks character to "protect" the audience and "prevent" giving offense. The lines she's skipping are the ones her character says to steal Mr. Antrobus and wreck his "happy" family. Her excuse for breaking character is this: there might be people in the audience who don't need to be reminded of the reality of broken homes. Husbands cheat. Wives cheat. Spouses leave each other. Couples divorce. Homes are broken. People don't go to the theatre to see this kind of stuff. They come to be entertained. They come to laugh.
Did I like this one? Well. Not really "like." It was interesting. More astounding to me than anything is that it's a prize-winning drama. Which in a way makes sense. I think this is a case of The Emperor's New Clothes. You either see the brilliance, want others to think you see what they see, or call others out and say WHY is this wonderful?
Quotes: "Henry Antrobus is a real, clean-cut American boy. He'll graduate from High School one of these days, if they make the alphabet any easier. Henry, when he has a stone in his hand, has a perfect aim; he can hit anything from a bird to an older brother--Oh! I didn't mean to say that!--but it certainly was an unfortunate accident, and it was very hard getting the police out of the house. Mr. and Mrs. Antrobus' daughter is named Gladys. She'll make some good man a good wife someday, if he'll just come down off the movie screen and ask her." (Sabina, monologue)
"How can you make a world for people to live in, unless you've first put order in yourself?" (Antrobus to Henry)
"How will a man choose the ruler that shall rule over him? Will he not choose a man who has first established order in himself, knowing that any decision that has its spring from anger or pride or vanity can be multiplied a thousand fold in its effects upon the citizens? (Hester)
Premise/plot: The Skin of Our Teeth is an always absurd, sometimes amusing, frequently head-scratching play that won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1943. It stars Mr. and Mrs. Antrobus, a couple who've been married for 5,000+ years, their two children Henry and Gladys, and their 'maid' Sabina. Each of the three acts has its own peculiar setting. The acts do not seem--to me, at least--to be connected to one another to tell a cohesive story. Each act has its own beginning, middle, and end. So the whole play is like three little stories sharing some of the same characters, some of the same themes. The 'theme' is surviving 'by the skin of your teeth.' The running gag, of sorts, is that this couple is "Adam" and "Eve" and Henry is "Cain."
The first act is 'the end of the world' by ice. The second act is 'the end of the world' by flood. The third act is 'end of the world' by war.
My thoughts: What a strange, strange play! Sabina, the "maid," is the scene stealer. In each of the three acts, she breaks character throughout and speaks directly to the audience. She reminds everyone THIS IS A PLAY. THIS IS A PLAY THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. I'M A PART OF THE PLAY. BUT I'M A REAL PERSON TOO. In the second act, for example, Sabina breaks character to "protect" the audience and "prevent" giving offense. The lines she's skipping are the ones her character says to steal Mr. Antrobus and wreck his "happy" family. Her excuse for breaking character is this: there might be people in the audience who don't need to be reminded of the reality of broken homes. Husbands cheat. Wives cheat. Spouses leave each other. Couples divorce. Homes are broken. People don't go to the theatre to see this kind of stuff. They come to be entertained. They come to laugh.
Did I like this one? Well. Not really "like." It was interesting. More astounding to me than anything is that it's a prize-winning drama. Which in a way makes sense. I think this is a case of The Emperor's New Clothes. You either see the brilliance, want others to think you see what they see, or call others out and say WHY is this wonderful?
Quotes: "Henry Antrobus is a real, clean-cut American boy. He'll graduate from High School one of these days, if they make the alphabet any easier. Henry, when he has a stone in his hand, has a perfect aim; he can hit anything from a bird to an older brother--Oh! I didn't mean to say that!--but it certainly was an unfortunate accident, and it was very hard getting the police out of the house. Mr. and Mrs. Antrobus' daughter is named Gladys. She'll make some good man a good wife someday, if he'll just come down off the movie screen and ask her." (Sabina, monologue)
"How can you make a world for people to live in, unless you've first put order in yourself?" (Antrobus to Henry)
"How will a man choose the ruler that shall rule over him? Will he not choose a man who has first established order in himself, knowing that any decision that has its spring from anger or pride or vanity can be multiplied a thousand fold in its effects upon the citizens? (Hester)
June 11, 2016
I’m not sure how much I liked The Skin of Our Teeth, Thornton Wilder’s second most well-known play..
I should stipulate, reading a play is a very different thing from seeing a play. I don't have much experience reading plays and mentally transmuting the written words and actions to that ancient medium, so take all I say here with a grain of salt. I'm sure the performances would outweigh my imagination.
The Skin of Our Teeth is metaphor many layers deep. The story, such as it is, has the Antrobus family facing three ideas of "the end of the world". First, the ice age, second, the Flood of Noah, and third, a war, reminiscent of WWII, which the play was written during. The metaphorical part here: the family lives in New Jersey. The family is both ancient man and the 20th-century nuclear family.
The fourth wall is broken time and time again. Wilder doesn’t let you forget you’re in a play. (More than anything, in these moments, I think Wilder is saying more about theater at the time than anything else.)
The outcome, the moral, the defining idea, is that humanity always recovers. But the other side of Thornton Wilder's coin is that humanity continues to make the same mistakes over and over again. A husband cheats, a boy murders, the rabble rouses, yet humanity continues. Men learn of true women (for that is the reason the universe was put in motion), children are born, grow, die, and the philosophers continue their march like hours on a clock.
It’s a fine philosophy of a play. Maybe go see it as one, rather than reading about it in a book.
I should stipulate, reading a play is a very different thing from seeing a play. I don't have much experience reading plays and mentally transmuting the written words and actions to that ancient medium, so take all I say here with a grain of salt. I'm sure the performances would outweigh my imagination.
The Skin of Our Teeth is metaphor many layers deep. The story, such as it is, has the Antrobus family facing three ideas of "the end of the world". First, the ice age, second, the Flood of Noah, and third, a war, reminiscent of WWII, which the play was written during. The metaphorical part here: the family lives in New Jersey. The family is both ancient man and the 20th-century nuclear family.
The fourth wall is broken time and time again. Wilder doesn’t let you forget you’re in a play. (More than anything, in these moments, I think Wilder is saying more about theater at the time than anything else.)
The outcome, the moral, the defining idea, is that humanity always recovers. But the other side of Thornton Wilder's coin is that humanity continues to make the same mistakes over and over again. A husband cheats, a boy murders, the rabble rouses, yet humanity continues. Men learn of true women (for that is the reason the universe was put in motion), children are born, grow, die, and the philosophers continue their march like hours on a clock.
It’s a fine philosophy of a play. Maybe go see it as one, rather than reading about it in a book.
April 6, 2022
As I started reading this, my first thought was: "What in the hell is this?!" It was extremely odd, yet oddly funny, and I trundled on. Look at it as a whole, I have to say this is a brilliant allegory of everyday life, told in the most bizarre way possible. AND, despite being 80 years old is completely relevant today! A side kudos to the original set designer and run crew for this piece-creating and accomplishing the complicated set and it's machinations 80 years ago is an astonishing achievement!
August 26, 2015
One of the most remarkable artworks I've encountered, and among the most appropriate to the end times we are living through.
April 10, 2022
One of the most bizarre and brilliant plays about perseverance. It is more relevant now than ever.
December 7, 2016
I'm not a huge fan of things that exemplify my flaws. This means I generally dislike all things that are self-referential, with the one monumental exception being Monty Python's Flying Circus, but only because they do it in a way that is far more clever than I could ever manage. I have a lot of trouble in daily life, and in my writing, with making the thing I'm saying or writing become about itself. Unrestrained self-reference is one of the many sour fruits of hyper self-awareness. This includes plays about plays, plays within plays, plays that break the fourth wall, and especially plays where the fourth wall seems to be in a constant state of disrepair, like this one.
Why can't things be about the things they are about? Why must everything acknowledge itself? Is it some sort of existential coping mechanism? I want to be immersed in something, not have it constantly reminding me that it is merely make-believe.
I suppose all this criticism is not a criticism of the play as a whole but more of the meaninglessness of the whole of modern philosophy which declines to acknowledge the existence of ultimate things and therefore lacks a comprehensive vision of the self.
It was funny, though.
Why can't things be about the things they are about? Why must everything acknowledge itself? Is it some sort of existential coping mechanism? I want to be immersed in something, not have it constantly reminding me that it is merely make-believe.
I suppose all this criticism is not a criticism of the play as a whole but more of the meaninglessness of the whole of modern philosophy which declines to acknowledge the existence of ultimate things and therefore lacks a comprehensive vision of the self.
It was funny, though.
August 30, 2019
Human life as a chaotic cycle of (male?) bombast/destruction and (female?) perseverance/rebuilding.
June 17, 2009
I loved reading "Our Town" by Thornton Wilder, so I decided to read more of his works. This play, which breaks the fourth wall many times, revolves around a family and their maid as they face the Ice Age, the Great Flood and a seven year war. The father is George Antrobus (I think it means "human" in Greek) and the mother is Maggie Antrobus. Their children are Henry and Gladys. Sabina is the maid that often "breaks out of character" and becomes the actress playing Sabina, "Miss Somerset."
It's a funny play that touches upon serious subject matters - such as whether humanity is worth living for.
One of my favorite lines are "Did you milk the mammoth yet?" To which Sabina/Miss Somerset replies "I don't understand a word of this play - Yes I milked the mammoth."
A must read if you love plays. It's also pretty short for those that don't like to read long books.
It's a funny play that touches upon serious subject matters - such as whether humanity is worth living for.
One of my favorite lines are "Did you milk the mammoth yet?" To which Sabina/Miss Somerset replies "I don't understand a word of this play - Yes I milked the mammoth."
A must read if you love plays. It's also pretty short for those that don't like to read long books.
January 16, 2020
I can see why this play would appeal to audiences during World War II. An allegory on human nature and the endless repetitions of tragedy and war as we seek out peace and stability, The Skin of Our Teeth was too avant garde for me. I found the first act less creative and more bizarrely confusing, although I do think each act got progressively stronger. But seeing as we’re now a few decades removed from the 1940s, I’d argue that this play hasn’t aged well and that its universal themes aren’t as timeless as Wilder thought. Quasi-recommended.
December 23, 2018
Okay, what just happened? I did NOT understand that play. Period. Three stars because it was mostly entertaining and sometimes hilarious. But I'm afraid I sadly missed the point Wilder was trying to impress upon us. I also have a niggling feeling I would have disagreed with him had I understand what he was saying. Sad. I suppose not everything can be as amazing as Our Town!
May 3, 2020
From page two, I detested this play’s approach to meta-theatricality. It had some cute moments, like a mammoth and a dinosaur being sent out of the house and into the cold, sending those species into extinction so humanity could save itself. That was the only moment in this entire play of Very Big Ideas that I cared about it. The rest was a wash of incomprehensible biblical allusions. And I could probably parse out some meaning and references from them, but I have zero desire to do so.
The breaking of the fourth wall was beyond grating and it was incessant. Maybe at the time some of it was new. Like when an actor says “oh I don’t want to say these next lines because they’ll make you blush,” and now it’s a joke that’s been copied too much since. But methinks not. That meta theatrical device predates TSOUT, at least as far back as A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Without this play, would we have Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, anything written by David Ives, or Waiting for Godot? Impossible to say, but one can see how this would have an influence on those. To be fair, I didn’t like Godot either, but I haven’t seen it. And while I didn’t understand everything in “Rosenkrantz,” it certainly felt more layered and profound than this confounding pile of dreck. Yes, plays are meant to be seen and not read, especially farces, but sitting in a theatre and watching this sounds like an excruciating, not an elucidating, experience.
The breaking of the fourth wall was beyond grating and it was incessant. Maybe at the time some of it was new. Like when an actor says “oh I don’t want to say these next lines because they’ll make you blush,” and now it’s a joke that’s been copied too much since. But methinks not. That meta theatrical device predates TSOUT, at least as far back as A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Without this play, would we have Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, anything written by David Ives, or Waiting for Godot? Impossible to say, but one can see how this would have an influence on those. To be fair, I didn’t like Godot either, but I haven’t seen it. And while I didn’t understand everything in “Rosenkrantz,” it certainly felt more layered and profound than this confounding pile of dreck. Yes, plays are meant to be seen and not read, especially farces, but sitting in a theatre and watching this sounds like an excruciating, not an elucidating, experience.
April 10, 2021
Meh. Some good projects for sets and costumes, but the patriarchal gender roles are so last century and the treatment of Black characters is just nope. A director could probably reimagine the racist parts of the script for a 21st century audience but I'm harder pressed to imagine how the gender grossness could be dealt with.
January 29, 2024
I saw a production of this in high school and thought it would be nice to revisit it. I enjoyed the cyclic nature of the play as well as Wilder’s blurring of the line between the play and the audience. He never breaks the fourth wall, he shatters it. The references to Homer and Moses are a bit on the nose, but they serve their purpose and add some variety to this play about beginnings and endings.
December 22, 2018
Okuması çok keyifli bir oyundu.
Read
February 17, 2023I forgot how much I enjoyed this and how much it can hit--for such a complex puzzle it is incredibly beautiful
November 27, 2021
It's actually hard to think of a more tonedeaf play to perform in 2021 than this one but Playmakers of UNC strikes again. I just have to laugh. Vivian Benisch really ought to retire
September 23, 2020
Sorry, but this one just didn't click with me. That doesn't mean it was written amateurishly or anything, but again, it just didn't click.
July 17, 2022
Say what you want about Wilder, but it's undeniable that he possesses one of the most distinctive voices of any playwright. Who else mixes wacky metatheater with metaphysical triumph to the extent that he does? It could be argued that the latter elements in his plays are rather vague and trite, but there is an inexplicable magic in how he applies them in "Our Town" and gives us a piece of florid realism tinged with playful, embracing, affecting experimentation. But this seemed more like a typical vain postmodern conceit—too off the wall to be truly wonderful. Perhaps I would warm more to it in the theater with its occasional goofball antics, but I felt that the "serious" allegorical elements came off as farcical and flippant—the concept is so incredibly ambitious that it I don't really think it would work if it took itself seriously, either. I do recommend giving it a whirl, especially if you liked Our Town, since the basic ideas are very similar, but it doesn't reach nearly the level of self-effacing mastery and sincerity of that great play.
February 10, 2017
Easily my favorite play, hands down, and Sabina my favorite role. Where else do you get lines that allow you to break the fourth wall like this?!
"I can't invent words for this play, and I'm glad I can't. I hate this play and every word in it."
"I can't invent words for this play, and I'm glad I can't. I hate this play and every word in it."
March 31, 2022
Well this was ...odd. Something put it in my head a couple weeks ago and then my daughter needing to read an absurdist play made me get it from the library. I had no idea. Still not sure what I just read. Seems like it's especially timely right now, but it may be timely at any point given Wilder's words.
January 18, 2013
This is a heck of a thing to wander into after only having read "Our Town." My image of Thornton Wilder is blown. I mean: a forties family where the father is inventing the wheel and the alphabet? The family somehow blended up with adam and eve/noah/Napoleon? A maid who is alternatively hysterically putting in her two-weeks notice in face of the coming ice age and breaking character to complain how the play doesn't make sense? An act where they pretend half the cast gets food poisoning and there aren't enough stand ins so they describe what some people were supposed to do? It's hysterical, but more layered than just that. I enjoyed it a great deal.
December 21, 2012
Given the reinterpretation of Wilder's career, and especially the staging of Our Town, wanted a taste of his writing. Interesting to see an Absurdist drama in the US during WWII. Read the Samuel French edition, with all the accompanying details on outfits and stage props and such.
Reading his bio in Wikipedia, also of interest his "relationship" w/ Samuel Steward.
Will read more Wilder. I find it intriguing that the man who wrote such works as "Our Town" and "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" (albeit early in his career)would later write such self-conscious literature (the "fourth wall" *often* comes down in this play), Absurdist pieces.
Reading his bio in Wikipedia, also of interest his "relationship" w/ Samuel Steward.
Will read more Wilder. I find it intriguing that the man who wrote such works as "Our Town" and "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" (albeit early in his career)would later write such self-conscious literature (the "fourth wall" *often* comes down in this play), Absurdist pieces.
November 16, 2018
I spent about 5 minutes staring blankly at my screen, scratching my head trying to figure out what I have just been reading for the past two or so days. Of course, tge skin of our teeth! I felt that the play was too disconnected. At one point we are talking about Noah, the next war. I really struggled to understand this play. I loved and enjoyed "town" and "the bridge of san louis rey". This was a different kind of challenge altogather. I don't know why. But, it is only after finishing it and reading some of the reviews here that I got to understand what the book was about. It won a pulitzer price. So whose not up to the challenge here, maybe am the one. I will re-read this one in future.
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