Now, before I proceed, I would ask all the readers to absorb my list with a pinch of salt and a lot of room for forgiveness.
The World Theatre Day on March 27, 2022 is a perfect set-up for me to win over the audience (and upset some theatre enthusiasts) with a microscopic list of five of the greatest plays to grace the planet in my humble and subjective opinion. It was incredibly hard to put my finger on just five out of the fifty-ish plays I had thought of in my head.
Well, here are the 5 greatest plays of all time:
1) Hamlet by William Shakespeare (1600-1601)
A tragedy of the most epic proportions, Hamlet is widely regarded as the greatest play of all time. With over 160 film adaptations, this play has gone through a plethora of creative edits across the generations. The unedited play lasts for about 5 hours and it is every actor’s dream to play the lead role in this masterpiece by William Shakespeare.
Was Hamlet really insane or just acting? Did Hamlet love Ophelia?…
Fearful of starting a riot here with my opinion, I’ll leave it up to you to make up your mind on what‘s what and what’s not.
2) The Crucible by Arthur Miller (1953)
Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible based on the real-life events of witch-hunts and trials in Salem, Massachusetts in the seventeenth-century. This dark and deeply-immersive play revolves around the aspects of mass hysteria, impressionable minds and socially-sanctioned violence during the events leading upto the infamous 1692 Salem witch-trials when Elizabeth Proctor is accused of practicing witchcraft by a young girl.
Miller’s play successfully engulfs the audience and captures the devastating acts of real people and the historical events regarding rumours of witchcraft and sorcery around the town in spellbinding ways.
3) Look Back in Anger by John Osborne (1956)
The birth of the original Angry Young Man disrupted the society in ways never seen before. Jimmy Porter’s character was a menace in all dimensions and forms, but a necessary menace to burst the bubble people lived in during that era. A fella with cheerful malice, hints of sincerity and rage in his veins coupled with obnoxious deeds and terrible trumpet playing is arguably one of the best characters to be witnessed by the world of theatre.
With its release in 1956, Look Back in Anger marked the start of a revolution in English theatre as it forced the people to acknowledge the disguised waves of rage and discontent in what used to be viewed as the “good life.”
4) Oedipus Rex by Sophocles (429 BC)
The thrill of drama, the agonizing wait for discovery and the shock of recognition, this Greek timeless classic has it all. Oedipus Rex, also known by its Greek title, Oedipus Tyrannus, or Oedipus the King, still carries this unfathomable raw power, the greatest among the history of plays in English literature. Oedipus struggles throughout the play to answer the age-old question of “Who am I?” through the course of his wild and unforgivable actions from killing his father in ignorance to marrying his mother and then blinding himself.
As a reader, I was horrified and amazed at the same time at every step the king took till he finally met his terrible fate.
5) Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (1895)
One of the most critically acclaimed works of Oscar Wilde, the Importance of Being Earnest is indeed humorous, despite not being appreciated by all. Filled with ridiculous dialogues by somewhat comically annoying characters, this short and highly-entertaining play constantly kept me on my toes as I tried to keep track of John and Ergenon’s mischievous identity swaps.
An incredibly funny comedy on the outside, Wilde was very clever with his satirical outlook on society in between the lines.
Written by Sparsh Paul
