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Article: The unbearable lightness of Ayckbourn. (British playwright Alan Ayckbourn)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- March 7, 1998
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Why is the laughter so sorrowful at an Ayckbourn play?
HE IS Britain's most popular living playwright. Only Shakespeare gets more productions. His plays have been performed in more than two dozen languages in more than three dozen countries, from Argentina to Yugoslavia, from Iceland to Taiwan. He is writing as well (and as much) as ever: as he approaches his 59th birthday, his 53rd play, "Things We Do For Love", had its London opening at the Gielgud Theatre this week.
Yet Sir Alan Ayckbourn's reputation remains two-sided. It is not simply that intellectuals mistrust his popularity. A sizeable chunk of the theatrical world, not to mention a hard core of ...