Scarcity
by Lucy Thurber

Name: Scarcity
Brand: Lucy Thurber
SKU: 9780822222675
Rating: 3.34 (37 reviews)

Highlights

Small Cast

Female

Male

90 minsInterior SetAmerican

What readers are saying

Readers have mixed feelings about the play, with some praising its honesty and emotional impact, while others find it lacking in execution and coherence. Many appreciate the characters and themes but criticize its reliance on stereotypes and awkward dialogue.

Stirring and honest performancesCompelling charactersStronger than other playsFull of cheap stereotypesAwkward dialogueConfusing character motivations

Synopsis

THE STORY: In a small town in Western Massachusetts, the Lawrence family struggles with poverty, boredom and lost potential.

Into this isolated town comes Ellen, a highly educated, wealthy and well-traveled young woman who wants to give back to her

ThemesFamilies Families--Massachusetts--Drama PS3620.H86 S33 2008

Press Reviews

"In Thurber's world, sex is less a quest for pleasure or an expression of love than it is the retardation of emotion. And this is where Thurber makes her mark as an artist: She shows us how some parents would rather keep their offspring in their muck than allow them an opportunity for advancement…Thurber belongs to a generation of young female playwrights…all of whom grew up watching shows like Roseanne but were able to peel away the laughs and reveal the ugly lives beneath.“ —The New Yorker. ”Thurber writes with both humor and pathos about this household, whose family values of love and loyalty are constantly put to the test in an environment of poverty, ignorance and casual violence. Behind the snappy dialogue and brazenly comic characterizations, she also shows genuine tenderness toward people who rarely get that kind of treatment on the stage.“ —Variety. ”A gripping new play. Anybody seeking a sizzling hunk of red-blooded American realism should grab this show. Thurber develops "
— CurtainUp