

Oleanna
David Mamet


What readers are saying
Readers have mixed feelings about the play's intensity and themes. Many appreciate the powerful dialogue and its exploration of complex dynamics between the two characters. However, some find the writing frustrating and believe it lacks clarity in its messaging. Overall, it sparks debates and reflections on gender and power dynamics, though not all responses are positive.
"An ear for reproducing everyday language has long been David Mamet's hallmark and he has now employed it to skewer the dogmatic, puritannical streak which has become commonplace on and off the campus.
With Oleanna he continues an exploration of male-female conflicts begun with Sexual Perversity in Chicago in 1974.
Oleanna cogently demonstrates that when free thought and dialogue are imperilled, nobody wins."
(Michael Wise, Independent) In Oleanna "John and Carol go to it with hand-to hand combat that amounts to a primal struggle for power.
As usual with Mamet, the vehicle for that combat is crackling, highly distilled dialogue unencumbered by literary frills or phony theatrical ones."
(Frank Rich, International Herald Tribune)
"One of the ten best plays of 1992… reason enough to cheer for the future of the theatre."
— Time Magazine
"There can be no tougher or more unflinching play than Oleanna."
— Harold Pinter
| Character |
|---|
John A man in his forties |
Carol A woman of twenty |
Oleanna – 2009 Broadway Production Clip 1
Oleanna is a American play written by David Mamet and published by Methuen in London (1993).
Digital editions available on Amazon Kindle.
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First Edition
Methuen · 1993 · 96 pp
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