Gurney's 'Children' Gets a New Ending

A.R. Gurney voyaged yesterday to the lush, leafy heart of WASP country -- Westport, Conn. -- to speak about his work in front of an audience that had just seen his 1974 play, "Children," at Westport Country Playhouse. The playwright talked about the new ending he's given it, how he manages to draw such juicy characters for women, and his need to write every day.

WASP-family classics like "Children" are a far cry from some of the prolific Gurney's recent work, including political plays that sometimes hold the mirror up to theater in general and Gurney's own oeuvre in particular. But the bite that complacent audiences are too likely not to notice in his dramas has always been there.

June 1, 2009 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

1 Comments

By David on June 2, 2009 10:14 AM

I enjoyed the play and the discussion that followed the performance. Might the new ending be an amplification of the "erosion" references? The mother weakened by family adversity finaly gives up the high morals and traditional standards she tried to preserve. The wall collapses; the beach erodes; the sea (change) prevails. I thought it was a dark and troubling ending; not a kind liberation.