An older generation's controversy is the next generation's banal standard. The fires of controversy often fade as time goes by. For example, when we look at Ibsen's A Doll's House we can see why it was so provocative during the late 1800s. Yet, if we were to set A Doll's House in modern day America, not too many people would be shocked by the play's conclusion. We might yawn as Nora decides to leave her husband and family. We might nod to ourselves thinking, "Yep, there's another divorce, another broken family. Big deal."
Because theater pushes the boundaries, it often evokes heated conversations, even public outrage. Sometimes the impact of the literary work generates societal change. With that in mind, here is a brief look at the most controversial plays of the 20th century.
Spring's Awakening by Frank Wedekind
This caustic critique of hypocrisy and society's flawed sense morality stands up for the rights of adolescents. Written in Germany in the late 1800s, it was not actually performed until 1906. Spring's Awakening is subtitled A Children's Tragedy. In recent years Wedekind's play (which has been banned and censored many times during its history) has been adapted into a critically acclaimed musical, and with good reason. The storyline is saturated in dark, brooding satire, teen angst, blossoming sexuality, and tales of innocence lost. The main characters are youthful, likable, and naive. The adult characters, in contrast, are stubborn, ignorant, and almost inhuman in their callousness. When the so-called "moral" adults rule by shame instead of compassion and openness, the adolescent characters pay a heavy toll. For decades, many theaters and critics considered Spring's Awakening perverse and unsuitable for audiences, showing just how accurately Wedekind critiqued turn-of-the-century values.
The Emperor Jones:
Although it generally not considered the best play by Eugene O'Neill, The Emperor Jones is perhaps his most controversial and cutting-edge. Why? In part because of it's visceral and violent nature. In part because of it's post-colonialist criticism. But mainly because it did not marginalize African and African-American culture in a time when openly racist minstrel shows were still considered acceptable entertainment.
Originally performed in the early 1920s, the play details the rise and fall of Brutus Jones, an African American railway worker who becomes a thief, a killer, an escaped convict, and after journeying to the West Indies, the self-proclaimed ruler of an island. Although Jones' character is villainous and desperate, his corrupt value system has been derived by observing upper-class white Americans. As the island people rebel against Jones, he becomes a hunted man -- and undergoes a primal transformation.
Drama critic Ruby Cohn writes:
The Emperor Jones is at once a gripping drama about an oppressed American black, a modern tragedy about a hero with a flaw, an expressionist quest play probing to the racial roots of the protagonist; above all, it is more highly theatrical than its European analogues, gradually quickening the tom-tom from normal pulse-rhythm, stripping away colorful costume to the naked man beneath, subordinating dialogue to innovative lighting in order to illuminate an individual and his racial heritage.
As much as he was a playwright, O'Neill was a social critic who abhorred ignorance and prejudice. At the same time, while the play demonizes colonialism, the main character exhibits many immoral qualities. Jones is by no means a role model character. African American playwrights such as Langston Hughes, and later on Lorraine Hansberry, would create plays that celebrated the courage and compassion of black Americans -- something not seen in O'Neill's work, which focuses on the turbulent lives of derelicts, both black and white. Ultimately, the diabolical nature of the protagonist leaves modern audiences wondering whether or not The Emperor Jones did more harm than good.
The Children's Hour:
Lillian Hellman's 1934 drama about a little girl's destructive rumor touches upon what was once an incredibly taboo subject: lesbianism. Because of its subject matter, The Children's Hour was banned in Chicago, Boston, and even London.
The Basic Story: Karen and Martha are two close (and very platonic) friends and colleagues. Together, they have established a successful school for girls. One day, a bratty student claims that she witnessed the two teachers romantically entwined. In a witch-hunt styled frenzy, accusations ensue, more lies are told, parents panic, and innocent lives are ruined.
The most tragic event occurs during the play's climax. Either in a moment of exhausted confusion or stress-induced enlightenment, Martha confesses her romantic feelings for Karen. Karen tries to explain that Martha is simply tired, and that she needs to rest. Instead, Martha walks into the next room (off-stage) and shoots herself. Ultimately, the shame unleashed by the community became too great, Martha's feelings too difficult to accept, thus ending with a needless suicide.
Although perhaps tame by today's standards, Hellman's drama paved the way for a more open discussion about social and sexual mores, ultimately leading to more modern (and equally controversial) plays, such as:
- Angels in America
- Torch Song Trilogy
- Bent
- The Laramie Project
Considering a rash of recent suicides due to rumors, school bullying, and hate-crimes against young gays and lesbians, The Children's Hour has taken on a new-found relevancy. (And as a side note to any students dealing with verbal abuse, bullying, and/or homophobia, check out this article: "Don't Worry, It Gets Better".)
