–review by Josh Bramon (teen)

The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O’Neill

The bleak setting, the common yet complex characters, the prolonged scenes of inebriated barroom chatter, the characters ranging from the raving drunkard, to the down-on-their-luck prostitutes of New York, all meld together to form a multi-layered exploration of humanity. Externally, this play appears to be simplistic. Not only is the setting stagnant, but it seldom brings in any new characters. Even the dialogue is simple, but it’s used in a way to more accurately portray the characters.The play could best be described as a “multiple character-study”, as it examines the lives, thought-processes, and most heavily, on the dreams of each regular of character’s Harry Hope’s Bar. Each character undergoes an extensive analysis of their own life, some doing so without any knowledge of what is occurring at the moment. For some, this changes their whole view of life; for others they realize they squandered their time and chance, and for others it leaves them indifferent and content to continue to erase it by means of Harry Hope’s Bar. The reader, similarly, will experience a renewed outlook on life; luckily however, we have time to act upon it. Highly Recommended. – Josh Bramon


 

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