The Ladies of the Corridor

I got a tasty little morsel in the mail yesterday. Anyone who has read this blog knows that I'm a fan of the marvelous Ms. Dorothy Parker. Recently, Pengin Classics released a new edition of her collaboration with Arnaud d'Usseau.

The play is heartbreaking. It's so honest. You can see shards of her in every page- the real Dorthy Parker - not just the witty, fork-tongued dragon (though there are glimpses) but of the deeply depressed, alcohol-soaked anger that she struggled with throughout her life.

Marion Meade wrote a wonderful introduction to the book that puts the reader in the picture as to what was going on with Mrs. Parker during this time in her life. As usual Marion Mead is brilliant. She is without a doubt my favorite biographer.

This is a wonderful play. It was badly received on Broadway when it opened, and not incredibly well received in 2005 when it was reprised. It's a play that should be read. It's a play for for those who love Mrs. Parker.

Like Dorothy Parker - it is beautiful, tragic, perfectly-imperfect, and heartbreaking.