The Long Christmas Dinner
by Thornton Wilder
Synopsis
The Long Christmas Dinner – nine decades long – showcases the lives of several generations of the Bayard family.
Wilder breaks the boundaries of time as we measure it, and invites us to partake of “one long, happy Christmas dinner” – past, present and future.
As generations appear, have children, wither, and depart, only the audience appreciates what changes and what remains the same.
“Every last twig is wrapped around with ice.
You almost never see that,” young Genevieve marvels, not realizing that her mother made this observation years earlier, or that her daughter-in-law will one day do the same.
Characters
| Character |
|---|
Roderick Mother Bayard's son |
Mother Bayard |
Cousin Brandon |
Charles Lucia and Roderick's son |
Genevieve Lucia and Roderick's daughter |
Leonora Banning Charles's wife |
Lucia Leonora and Charles's daughter, Samuel's twin |
Samuel Leonora and Charles's son, Lucia's twin |
Roderick Leonora and Charles's youngest son |
Cousin Ermengarde |
Servants |
Nurses |
Lucia Roderick's wife |
Videos
The Long Christmas Dinner - Abbey Theatre Trailer
Publication
The Long Christmas Dinner is a comedy play written by Thornton Wilder and published by Samuel French (2022).
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Paperback
Samuel French · 2022
Performance Rights
Restrictions: Major Markets Only (US) / Standard Restriction (UK)
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