The Cocktail Hour

by A.R. Gurney

Book Overview

THE STORY: The time is the mid '70s, the place a city in upstate New York. John, a playwright, returns to his family's house, bringing with him a new play which he has written about them. His purpose... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452263387
• ISBN13: 9780452263383
• Release Date: November 1989
• Publisher: Plume Books
• Length: 251 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.7" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Good fast moving dialogue with intriguing characters,

According to the John Gassner Best Plays Series, this A.R. Gurney play is included in the Best American Plays Ninth Series 1983-1992. It is excellent! This is NOT to be confused with T.S. Eliot's The Cocktail Party. The setting takes place in the mid 70s in upstate NY, a well-to-do home of an older couple, Bradley and Ann. Their son John makes a visit home during the "sacred" Cocktail Hour and seeks his parents permission to proceed with the play he wrote about the family. In it, he will make some revelation about the family that includes something very personal he intends to clarify. Bradley, the father, is adamant that he doesn't want this play published. Ann, the mother, believes that maybe the family information would be better suited for a book, because it is less personal than a play. And his sister Nina, is upset because enough is not written about her. This is a brilliant exchange of dialogue and interaction with characters, and with this, you gain a complete sense of this intriguing family and their share of domestic distress. ....Rizzo

Tight

A.R. Gurney's play premiered at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego in June 1988 and then at the Promenade Theatre in New York in October of that year. It is a witty and urbane piece steeped in the reality of theatre. The main character John is a playwright who goes for cocktails and dinner at his parents' house. His father Bradley was a successful businessman. His mother Ann was a socialite. Sister Nina also comes for dinner, while all wait upon their brother Jigger who never arrives. John is the black sheep of the family, never feeling like he has belonged. A playwright who also makes a living by working as an editor for a publishing company, John has written a play called "The Cocktail Hour." It is loosely based on his family; so he has come to ask their permission before he approves a proposed production in New York. His father Bradley explodes and writes a $20,000 check NOT to have the play produced. His mother Ann wishes he'd write a book instead since a book is so much less visible than a play. His sister Nina simply wants to have a bigger role in the play. The dialogue is brisk and the banter witty as past resentments and misunderstandings are dredged. In John's play, he reveals that he feels he is not his father's biological son, which is why he feels as if he was not loved and has no connection to the father. This leads to the mother's confession about an affair with a stable attendant and her writing a book about it that she later burned. Meanwhile, John has connected his brother Jigger up with friends in California that have a boat company. Jigger has decided to settle for a pay cut to move to follow his dream and love of boats. This further complicates the emotions. The family's history of a long line of servants is reflected in the current help that may be called Shirley or Cheryl or some name that no family remember can quite recall. The gag is that the servant doesn't know a microwave from a warming oven and ruins the meal. Meanwhile the family's cocktail hour gets longer and more alcohol is consumed. Nina decides to go to Cleveland to raise dogs. Bradley takes back his check from John so that he can give the funds to Jigger for his move to California and to Nina for her dog raising in Cleveland. John decides that he does love his father and the play ends with a smile. The dialogue is brisk and intelligently written. This tight little domestic comedy has its share of serious moments and laughs. A.R. Gurney has created a good script that provides an interesting evening of entertainment on the stage or on the page. Enjoy!