Desire Under the Elms

By: Eugene O'Neill

Narrated by: Paul Adelstein, Orson Bean, Amy Brenneman, Dwier Brown, Maurice Chasse, Charlie Kimball

Eugene O’Neill’s tale of Ephraim Cabot, greedy and hard like the stone walls that surround his farm, the family patriarch brings home his new young bride, Abbie. His grown sons dissaprove; one leaves but the other stays to fight for the family fortune. What follows is a tragedy of epic proportions.

Public Domain (P)2009 L.A. Theatre Works

Story is contrived, though performed great.

All the conflicts are contrived and weak, though performance is outstanding. Reminded me of a patchwork blanket. I wonder why it was rated so high.

What a silly story!

Maybe O'Neil was inebriated when writing this claptrap. So over the top in every way. No believable characters. This was almost a comedy because of the story line. Definitely dated to boot. Don't waste your money.

A raw and modern take on a classic

This play is written with earthy language and thankfully, this cast performs it that way. Specifically, the character played by Amy Brenneman is portrayed with realistic grunt and not in the wishy washy way such female characters have been portrayed in the past. The in-jokes enjoyed by the brothers at the beginning are challenging to follow at first. Listen a couple of times for maximum benefit.

True Tragedy

A rollercoaster of greed, lust, and contempt. However, I would have liked it better if the actions were included.