“And they looked to the left and saw that you had done
to try to make the life that you have lived,
And they took in that view.
And they looked to the right and saw what you had done
to try to make the life that have lived,
and they took in that view.
They took it all in.
And in their estimation
they found all of it,
their view over all of it,
the sum of all of it,
to be fair.”
FAIRVIEW is powerful on the page, but this reviewer had to check with reviews written by people who saw the play as the stage directions are difficult to interpret only from the written words. The use of voice-over by the White actors was not sensible from just reading the play. Also, a powerful component of the staged play is the use of dance throughout Acts One and Two. But, the words alone by playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury are powerful. She writes compelling dialogue, in this writer’s view, and stages her plays outside the box.
Reading FAIRVIEW, or any play, is not especially light, escapist reading. For a theater fan who wants to look beyond the staged package and into the construction of the play’s effect, reading FAIRVIEW is rewarding.
