The Sandbox (play)
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''The Sandbox'' is a
one-act play A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. The 20-40 minute play has emerged as a popular subgenre of the one-act play, especially in writi ...
by American
playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...
Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III ( ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as ''The Zoo Story'' (1958), ''The Sandbox (play), The Sandbox'' (1959), ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), ''A Delicat ...
, first performed in 1959. The play explores themes of familial relationships,
neglect In the context of caregiving, neglect is a form of abuse where the perpetrator, who is responsible for caring for someone who is unable to care for themselves, fails to do so. It can be a result of carelessness, indifference, or unwillingness and ...
, and the
emotional detachment In psychology, emotional detachment, also known as emotional blunting, is a condition or state in which a person lacks emotional connectivity to others, whether due to an unwanted circumstance or as a positive means to coping, cope with anxiet ...
of
modern society Modernity, a topic in the humanities and social sciences, is both a historical period (the modern era) and the ensemble of particular socio-cultural norms, attitudes and practices that arose in the wake of the Renaissancein the Age of Reaso ...
. It focuses on the interactions between an elderly woman, her adult children, and a symbolic young man, highlighting issues such as the
dehumanization upright=1.2, link=Warsaw Ghetto boy, In his report on the suppression of the Nazi camps as "bandits". file:Abu Ghraib 68.jpg, Lynndie England pulling a leash attached to the neck of a prisoner in Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse, Abu Ghr ...
of the elderly and the contrast between outward appearances and inner emotional realities. The play uses absurdist elements and dark humor to comment on the shallow nature of family dynamics and societal values. Through its symbolic setting and characters, ''The Sandbox'' reflects Albee’s critique of modern American life. The play centers on a family consisting of a domineering mother (Mommy), her passive husband (Daddy), and their elderly, neglected mother (Grandma).


Productions

The first performance was on April 15, 1960 in the Jazz Gallery in New York City. The show was staged by Lawrence Arrick, original music by William Flanagan. The show starred Alan Helm (Young Man), Jane Hoffman (Mommy), Richard Woods (Daddy), Sudie Bond (Grandma), and Hal McKusick (Musician). The play was produced
Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
at the Cherry Lane Theatre in February 1962, in repertory with other Albee plays, in a Theatre of the Absurd series. The play had several regional productions, including the Dallas Theatre Center in January 1963 starring Ruth Winchester in the lead role and the Los Angeles Theatre Company (season 1967-68). The play was performed as a collection of One Act plays in the spring of 1978 at Long Branch Junior High School in Long Branch New Jersey starring Michelle Begley and David Schroeder The play ran Off-Broadway, produced by The Acting Company, at the Public Theatre in March 1984, with 8 modern one-act plays, titled ''Pieces of Eight'', directed by Alan Schneider. The play was produced
Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
by the Signature Theatre Company in a triple bill of one-act plays by Albee: ''Sand'', ''The Sandbox'' and ''Finding the Sun.'' The plays ran from February 4, 1994 to March 6, 1994. Directed by Albee, the cast was Peggy Consgrave (Mommy), Jane Hoffman (Grandma), Edward Seamon (Daddy), Aisha Benoir (Cellist), and Earl Nash (Young Man). The play was performed Off-Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre in March 2008, in a double bill with '' The American Dream''. Directed by Albee, the cast featured
Judith Ivey Judith Lee Ivey (born September 4, 1951) is an American actress and theatre director. She twice won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play: for '' Steaming'' (1981) and '' Hurlyburly'' (1984). She also received Best Actress In A P ...
(Mommy), George Bartenieff (Daddy), Lois Markle (Grandma), Jesse Williams (Young Man) and Daniel Shevlin (Musician).Wittenberg, Polly
''The American Dream/The Sandbox''
newyorktheatreguide.com, accessed November 21, 2015
Brantley, Ben

''New York Times'', April 2, 2008
The play was produced
Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
by the Signature Theatre Company in a triple bill of one-act plays by Edward Albee, Maria Irene Fornes, and Adrienne Kennedy. The plays ran from May 3, 2016 to June 19, 2016. Directed by Lila Neugebauer, the cast was Alison Fraser (Mommy), Phyllis Somerville (Grandma), Frank Wood (Daddy), Melody Giron (Cellist), and Ryan-James Hatanaka (Young Man). The play is approximately 15 minutes long and involves direct address by the actors to the audience, their acknowledgment that they are performers in a play, and the offering of cues to the musician.


Characters

* Mommy: 55, a well-dressed, imposing woman. She is Grandma's daughter. After marrying Daddy, she brings her mother from the farm and into their big town house in the city. She gives her mom an army blanket, her own dish, and a nice place under the stove. * Daddy: 60, a small man; gray, thin. He is the rich man that Mommy married. * Grandma: 86, a tiny, wizened woman with bright eyes. She is the protagonist of the play. She married a farmer at the age of 17. Her husband died when she was 30, and she raised Mommy by herself from there on. Grandma is at conflict with her family, society, and death. * The Young Man: 25, a good-looking, well-built boy in a bathing suit. He is the angel of death, performing calisthenics that suggest the beating of wings. He is from Southern California, but hasn't been given a name yet. * The Musician: No particular age, but young would be nice. He does not speak and must be directed to play or stop playing his music.


Plot synopsis

Beginning with brightest day, the Young Man is performing calisthenics (which he continues to do until the very end of the play) near a sandbox (or
sandpit A sandpit (most Commonwealth countries) or sandbox (US and Canada) is a low, wide container or shallow depression filled with soft (beach) sand in which children can play. Sharp sand (as used in the building industry) is not suitable for su ...
) at the beach. Mommy and Daddy have brought Grandma all the way out from the city and placed her in the sandbox. As Mommy and Daddy wait nearby in some chairs, the Musician plays off and on, according to what the other characters instruct him to do. Throughout the play, the Young Man is very pleasant, greeting the other characters with a smile as he says, "Hi!". As Mommy and Daddy cease to acknowledge Grandma while they wait, Grandma reverts from her childish behavior and begins to speak coherently to the audience. Grandma and the Young Man begin to converse with each other. Grandma feels comfortable talking with the Young Man as he treats her like a human being (whereas Mommy and Daddy imply through their actions and dialogue that she is more of a chore that they must take care of). While still talking with the Young Man, she reminds someone off-stage that it should be nighttime by now. Once brightest day has become deepest night, Mommy and Daddy hear on-stage rumbling. Acknowledging that the sounds are literally coming from off-stage and not from thunder or breaking waves, Mommy knows that Grandma's death is here and weeps heavily. As daylight resumes, Mommy talks about how they must move on while standing by the sandbox before quickly exiting with Daddy. Although Grandma, who is lying down half buried in sand, has continued to mock Mommy and Daddy, she soon realizes that she can no longer move. It is at this moment that the Young Man finally stops performing his calisthenics and approaches Grandma and the sandbox. As he directs her to be still, he reveals that he is the angel of death and says, "...I am come for you." Even though he says his line like a real amateur, Grandma compliments him and closes her eyes with a smile.


Critical response

The play received an almost universally negative reception, as critics attacked the confusing, absurdist plot. However,
Ben Brantley Benjamin D. Brantley (born October 26, 1954) is an American theater critic, journalist, editor, publisher, and writer. He served as the chief theater critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1996 to 2017, and as co-chief theater critic from 2017 t ...
, in his review of the 2008 Off-Broadway production in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', wrote that ''The Sandbox'' was a better play than ''The American Dream'', with which it was paired. Brantley wrote that ''The Sandbox'' "remains a harrowingly effective chamber piece." Joe Dziemianowicz, in his review of the 2008 double bill for ''The New York Daily News'' wrote: "...these satires on the storybook family deliver swift comic kicks and a piercing sting. They also contain the absurdism, acrobatic language and provocative thoughts on marriage and children that define Albee's long, illustrious career....The production 'The Sandbox''benefits from snappy design, Albee's smart direction, and solid acting, though Markle, a last-minute replacement, seems too hearty for her role. On the other hand, Ivey is an ideal Mommy. Her acidly funny performance is enough for me to urge seeing this double bill double-quick."Dziemianowicz, Joe
"Edward Albee's plays are a marriage of humor & acid satire"
''New York Daily News''. April 2, 2008


Notes


References

*Albee, Edward. ''The American Dream and The Zoo Story: Two Plays by Edward Albee''. New York: Plume,.


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandbox, The 1959 plays Plays by Edward Albee One-act plays Absurdist fiction