Part of the Eugene O'Neill FestivalAh, Wilderness!
By Eugene O'Neill
Directed by Kyle Donnelly
Illustration by Rob Carter
Family Comedy
Return to an idyllic age of Americana in Eugene O’Neill’s unabashedly romantic and sweetly funny Ah, Wilderness! As the Connecticut-based Miller clan plans their traditional Fourth of July festivities, their dreamy-eyed middle child Richard is wrestling with cultural conventions, political uncertainty, the power of literature, and the exquisite pain of love. The memories of family life were never so delicately portrayed as in O’Neill’s only comedy, his coming-of-age love letter to a simpler time, which finds the master playwright “at his most wistful and serene.” (New York Times).
The O'Neill Festival is generously sponsored by Joan and David Maxwell.
Featuring D.C. Favorites
American Voices
Kyle Donnelly
It is a privilege to spend time in the world of Eugene O’Neill. While all of his work is infused with sorrow and regret, Ah, Wilderness! evokes that long-ago American past where the worst a boy could do was spout romantic poetry and talk of revolution. In this comedy of recollection, the dark impulses of the young Eugene are evident, yet the spirit of hope carries the fantasy family of the play through the trials of raising a teenage son at the turn of the century. Knowing what is to come, the long day’s journey into the night that becomes the reality for the O’Neill family gives this important American play its poignancy.
