A review by thebeardedpoet
After the Fall by Arthur Miller
2.0
Interestingly the play After the Fall deals with the historical tragedies of the Great Depression, the Holocaust, and the Red Scare.
The best thing about Arthur Miller's After the Fall is the format: As a transition between scenes, Quentin, the main character, speaks out loud about his life and experiences to an unseen "Listener." The story emerges from Quentin's memories and associations. Persons from various time periods in his life might appear on stage in a given scene at the same time due to the connections and associations those people evoke. Because moments at different times are portrayed simultaneously, the format can be confusing at first, but eventually becomes an effective technique for bringing the audience into Quentin's mind.
What I did not care for was the repeated portrayal of the disintegrations of marriage and friendship relationships. We witness the failure of Quentin's two marriages. We see Quentin's parents decent into brokenness. For me it simply got too depressing and discouraging to see couples fall apart like that. Also this repeated motif made the hopeful ending seem very unlikely and unbelievable. Really? We are to believe that Quentin's next relationship will function well?
The character of Maggie is thought by many to be a parallel for Marilyn Monroe, who was briefly married to Arthur Miller. Maggie enacts the descent of innocent girl who becomes a star and can't handle an artist's public life. She becomes an insanely jealous primadonna, constantly whining to get her way and spending herself into a vast hole of debt. She turns to drugs and becomes suicidal. Perhaps you can understand why I didn't find the Second Act (mostly about Maggie and Quentin's marriage) to be much fun.
The best thing about Arthur Miller's After the Fall is the format: As a transition between scenes, Quentin, the main character, speaks out loud about his life and experiences to an unseen "Listener." The story emerges from Quentin's memories and associations. Persons from various time periods in his life might appear on stage in a given scene at the same time due to the connections and associations those people evoke. Because moments at different times are portrayed simultaneously, the format can be confusing at first, but eventually becomes an effective technique for bringing the audience into Quentin's mind.
What I did not care for was the repeated portrayal of the disintegrations of marriage and friendship relationships. We witness the failure of Quentin's two marriages. We see Quentin's parents decent into brokenness. For me it simply got too depressing and discouraging to see couples fall apart like that. Also this repeated motif made the hopeful ending seem very unlikely and unbelievable. Really? We are to believe that Quentin's next relationship will function well?
The character of Maggie is thought by many to be a parallel for Marilyn Monroe, who was briefly married to Arthur Miller. Maggie enacts the descent of innocent girl who becomes a star and can't handle an artist's public life. She becomes an insanely jealous primadonna, constantly whining to get her way and spending herself into a vast hole of debt. She turns to drugs and becomes suicidal. Perhaps you can understand why I didn't find the Second Act (mostly about Maggie and Quentin's marriage) to be much fun.