The Birthday Party
by Harold Pinter

Name: The Birthday Party
Brand: Harold Pinter
SKU: 9780571160785
Rating: 3.71 (12271 reviews)

BroadwayWest EndOff-West End

The Birthday Party Book Cover — The Birthday Party Cover

Highlights

Small Cast

Female

Male

120 mins1950sInterior SetPeriod CostumesBritish

What readers are saying

Readers appreciate the complexity and thought-provoking nature of 'The Birthday Party'. Many enjoy Pinter's unique style, blending humor with horror in a surreal, ambiguous plot. Some find the play unsettling but captivating, effectively exploring themes of identity and authority through cleverly crafted dialogue. However, a few readers struggle with its absurdity and lack of clear meaning, feeling confused by the narrative.

Captivating dialogueThought-provoking themesUnique blend of humor and horrorMay confuse some readers

Synopsis

Stanley Webber is visited in his boarding house by strangers, Goldberg and McCann.

An innocent-seeming birthday party for Stanley turns into a nightmare.

The Birthday Party was first performed in 1958 and is now a modern classic, produced and studied throughout the world.

Press Reviews

"The most interesting play to be seen on Broadway."
— The New York Times

"Behind the surface symbolism...in the silence between the characters and their words, Pinter opens the door to another world, cogent and familiar: the part we hide from ourselves."
— Denver Post

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Meg A woman in her sixties	female	—	A woman in her sixties
Stanley A man in his late thirties	male	—	A man in his late thirties
Lulu A girl in her twenties	female	—	A girl in her twenties
Goldberg A man in his fifties	male	—	A man in his fifties
Mccann A man of thirty	—	—	A man of thirty
Petey A man in his sixties	male	—	A man in his sixties