Synopsis
Work Song - Three Views of Frank Lloyd Wright
Jeffrey Hatcher & Eric Simonson
Published by Dramatists Play Service
6 Male 2 Female
In this thrilling and imaginative new play about the famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, audiences get an in-depth look at the master builder at three distinct phases of his life and career
In Act One, he is a young man in a hurry to change the way people live and finding inspiration in Mamah Cheney, a unconventional (married) woman who becomes the great love of his life and leads to his greatest tragedy
In Act Two, as a doubting genius at the crossroads, fending off creditors and reeling in clients before he salvages himself by coming up with one of his greatest creations, the house called "Fallingwater"
And in Act Three, as an old showman at twilight, visiting a house from his past and taking stock of his sacrifices and successes in his quest to build the perfect dwelling
Each part of the play has its own style: a multi-scene "epic" style covering three decades for part one; a compressed "country weekend" comedy à la Chekhov for part two; and a single setting for part three's final encounter between Wright and a young couple living in one of his earliest houses built half a century before, played out in real time
The play also allows for a development in the play's design that mirrors the architectural ideas of Wright himself his ideas, his passions, his love affairs and his tragedies
It's a play about a man who wanted to create the perfect home for the American family but could never build one for himself
"As emotionally engrossing as Frank Lloyd Wright himself" ~ Variety
"Elegant ... vigorous ... breathtaking" ~ Chicago Tribune