He calls eddie a fantasist, perhaps a reference to sam shepard s fathers attitude towards his sons role as a playwright who imagines things for a living and. Through searing truth and dark humor, fool for love shows the story o. Sam shepard starred with kim basinger in the film version of his play fool for love 1985, directed by robert altman. Shepard s home base, the magic theater of san francisco, complete with the original cast under the authors direction. Holed up in a seedy motel on the edge of the mojave desert, two former lovers unpack the deep secrets and dark desires of their tangled relationship, passionately tearing each other apart. Calling all the dreamers, the lovers, the gamblers. Fool for love acting edition acting edition for theater. Yet as may and eddie perform the savage, cyclical dance that is sam shepards fool for love, which opened in a breathtaking production on thursday night at the samuel j. The film stars sam shepard, who also wrote both the original play and the adaptations screenplay, alongside kim basinger, harry dean stanton, randy quaid and martha crawford. May is hiding out at said motel when an old childhood friend and old flame, eddie, shows up.
Fool for love is a fulllength comedic drama by sam shepard. He briefly studied agriculture at mount san antonio college, but dropped out to move to new york in 1962. In fool for love, sam shepard analyzes the complicated relationship between may and eddie who are involved in a lovehate, fascinationrepulsion 15yearlong relation which is once more in the on again phase. This brilliant american dramatist creates what the new yorker dubbed shepard.
Oct 09, 2015 yet as may and eddie perform the savage, cyclical dance that is sam shepards fool for love, which opened in a breathtaking production on thursday night at the samuel j. He wrote several books including cruising paradise and motel chronicles. City lights books, love, hate, and myths of the old west are evidenced in violent confrontation between halfbrother and halfsister, who happen to be lovers. Fool for love sad lament of pecos bill on the eve of killings his wife notes. A member of the american academy of arts and letters, shepard received the gold medal for drama from the academy in 1992, and in 1994 he was inducted into the theatre hall of fame. The new republicsam shepard is the most exciting presence in the movie world and one of the most gifted.
Eddies character contains autobiographical elements of sam shepards life. Sam shepard biography, age, family, wife, career, death. From buried child which just finished an offbroadway run, to fool for love, which was recently on broadway, and which we will be looking at today. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers.
Fool for love and other plays by shepard, sam, 1943publication date 1984 topics american drama publisher toronto. Eddies character contains autobiographical elements of sam shepard s life. Fool for love, sam shepard western the new york times. Catherine stone the fools in the play are battling lovers at a mojave desert motel. This brilliant american dramatist creates what the new yorker dubbed shepard country a landscape of the imagination, a unique theatrical experience that captures our culture and consciousness, our fears and fantasies. Fool for love is a play written by american playwright and actor sam shepard. The play focuses on may and eddie, former lovers who have met again in a motel. Fool for love is a dynamic, hard thrusting, tense play that is meant to be performed without a break. In a lowbudget motel room on the outskirts of the mojave desert where may has been living, eddie and may sit without speaking to each othershe with her head between her knees over the side of the bed, and he in a chair. Holed up in a seedy motel on the edge of the mojave desert, two former lovers unpack the deep secrets and dark desires of their tangled relationship.
The play focuses on might and eddie, former lovers united nations agency have met once more in an exceedingly motor hotel within the desert. He wrote fool for love after leaving his wife, olan, for movie actress, jessica lange and has a. Buy a cheap copy of fool for love book by sam shepard. We watch a pair of figurative gunslingers fight to the finishnot with bullets, but with piercing words that give ballast to the weight of a nations buried dreamsas shepards people race verbally through the debris of the west, they search for the identities and familial roots that have disappeared with the landscape of legend. Shepards plays, eleven of which have won obie awards, include buried child, the late henry moss, simpatico, curse of the starving class, true west, fool for love, and a lie of the mind, which won a new york drama desk award. Fool for love and other plays by sam shepard librarything. Hilton als on a revival of sam shepards fool for love at the samuel j. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Sadie frost and carl barat in fool for love c asting two inexperienced stage actors in sam shepards mythic play is a bit like asking novice pianists to start with a chopin sonata. The film stars sam shepard, who also wrote both the original play and the adaptations screenplay. Fool for love by shepard, sam and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The american academy of dramatic arts recommends fool for love for female monologues. We usually sense that there must have been true love at some point. Set in a lowbudget motel room on the edge of the mojave desert, may and eddie play out an unpredictable encounter.
The play was a finalist for the 1984 pulitzer prize for drama. Sam shepard as the farmer in the 1978 film days of heaven. Fresh news of love, here and now, in all its potency, deviousness, and foolishness, and of many other matters as well. The american academy of dramatic arts recommends fool for love for female monologues fool for love is a fulllength comedic drama by sam shepard. Shepards home base, the magic theater of san francisco, complete with the original cast under the authors direction. In plays by sam shepard, however, we expect toxicity and violence. His plays included chicago, the tooth of crime, true west, fool for love, a lie of the mind, the late henry moss, heartless, and a particle of dread. Publication date 1983 topics american drama 20th century, american drama, plays. Sam shepard is the pulitzer prizewinning author of more than fortyfive plays. The old man offers different points of view on may and eddies past and for the most part denies any fault in their present troubled state. Buy fool for love and other plays reissue by shepard, sam isbn. Finalist for the 1984 pulitzer prize for drama and winner of the obie award. At the center of sam shepards fool for love are two people whose hurts are so deep, whose angers are so real, that they can barely talk about what they really feel. Patricks day the following year, shortly after the premiere of his play fool for love, shepard moved into langes cabin in northern minnesota near bob dylans birthplace, which he described to dark as a town right out of kerouac.
This brilliant american dramatist creates what the new yorker. He wrote fool for love after leaving his wife, olan, for movie actress, jessica lange and has a complicated past with his heavydrinking father. May, eddie, and the old man are on stage when the lights come upthe old man separated physically from may and eddie either on a different platform or another dividing convention of the set. Fool for love and other plays contains eight of pulitzerprizewinning sam shepards most stunning plays, with an introduction by ross wetzsteon. Fool for love and other plays sam shepard, ross wetzsteon on. Smith literary award for his story collection great.
Equal parts tragic, grim, terrifying, and funny, fool for love is the story of two angry and thwarted lovers with a horrible secret. Jan 29, 2010 sadie frost and carl barat in fool for love c asting two inexperienced stage actors in sam shepard s mythic play is a bit like asking novice pianists to start with a chopin sonata. Fool for love duchess in love by james, eloisa and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. At the center of sam shepard s fool for love are two people whose hurts are so deep, whose angers are so real, that they can barely talk about what they really feel. If you are new to the work of sam shepherd, this award winning oneact play is a good one to begin, as some of his work can be rather complicated. Danielle scott as may maximilian spears as eddie ray graham as old man and zachary leonard as martin. Fool for love and other plays by sam shepard biz books.
May 27, 1983 fool for love has been transported here from mr. The tooth of crime, true west, fool for love, a lie of the mind. Friedman, starring sam rockwell, nina arianda, and gordon joseph. Fool for love is accompanied in this volume by the sad lament of pecos bill on the eve of killing his wife, a comic operetta by sam shepard and catherine stone, which takes an irreverent view of american heroes and heroicsmore.
This brilliant american dramatist creates what the new yorker dubbed shepard countrya landscape of the imagination, a unique theatrical experience that captures our culture and consciouness, our fears and fantasies. Fool for love and other plays here are eight of pulitzerprizewinning sam shepards most stunning plays. He received the pulitzer prize for drama for buried child in 1978. Mar 20, 2010 sam shepard as the farmer in the 1978 film days of heaven. Samuel shepard rogers iii november 5, 1943 july 27, 2017, known professionally as sam shepard, was an american actor, playwright, author, screenwriter, and director whose career spanned half a century. We watch a pair of figurative gunslingers fight to the finishnot with bullets, but with piercing words that give ballast to the weight of a nations buried dreamsas shepard s people race verbally through the debris of the west, they search for the identities and familial roots that have disappeared with the landscape of legend.
Sam shepard was born samuel shepard rogers iii on an army base in illinois on november 5, 1943. Smith literary award for his story collection great dream of. Friedman, starring sam rockwell, nina arianda, and gordon joseph weiss. Fool for love angel city melodrama play cowboy mouth action suicide in bflat seduced geography of a horse dreamer. Eddie shares his love of liquor with the old man and seems to share the same sense of humor. Fool for love is a play written by yankee writer and actor dramatist. I love the stage directions, which call for over the top dramatics, banging and echoing walls, lights that pierce the audience, and gasoline fires.
Here are eight of pulitzerprizewinning sam shepards most stunning plays. The play focuses on may and eddie, former lovers who have met again in a motel in the desert. Sam shepard biography, age, family, wife, career, death and. This brilliant american dramatist creates what the new yorker dubbed shepard country a landscape of the imagination, a unique theatrical experience that captures our culture and consciouness, our fears and fantasies. Fool for love and other plays by sam shepard, paperback. His plays are crazy, physical, slightly confusing bundles of emotion. Sam shepard books list of books by author sam shepard. The play is filled with love, hate, anger, betrayal, lust, abandonment, codependence and most important, a very sordid relationship that is shocking. Fool for love is a 1985 american drama film directed by robert altman. Curse of the starving class, buried child, and true west.
The scene is a stark motel room at the edge of the mojave desert. Its one of shepards best known plays, familiar because there was a movie version starring shepard himself, but fool for love is rarely produced on local stages. He won ten obie awards for writing and directing, the most won by any writer or director. Fool for love angel city geography of a horse dreamer action cowboy mouth melodrama play seduced suicide in bbwith an introduction by ross wetzsteonsam shepard is phenomenal.
The play is part of a quintet which includes shepards family trilogy. Sam shepard and jessica lange, 1983 photograph courtesy of university of texas press. Click to read more about fool for love by sam shepard. Fool for love sam shepard 19432017 pictures cbs news. One important symbolic element is the walls of the motel suggesting confinement, perhaps in. That does not stop them from talking, on and on into the hurtful night, and eventually we can put together their sto ries, using what they have said, and especially what they have not said. It is known that the play has autobiographical elements. Shes just standing there, staring at me, and im staring back at her and we can take our eyes off each other. In fool for love, sam shepard analyzes the complicated relationship between may and eddie who are involved in a love hate, fascinationrepulsion 15yearlong relation which is once more in the on again phase.