and onto the plays

so last night i got back on track with my summer reading challenge reads. i read seven one-act plays by wendy wasserstein. for the most part i didn't like most of them. i was really looking forward to reading Waiting for Philip Glass but i was sorely disappointed. my two favorites are Medea and Boy Meets Girl.
Boy Meets Girl seems to be a satire on modern life. It begins with a narration that ends by saying, "What follows is a Love Story in One Act and Six Scenes between two of these sabra professionalites: Dan and Molly."
Everything is very specific down to the description of the characters:

Molly is a 33 year old S.S.D.B.G. (Single/Successful/Desperate/Bachelor/Girl) waiting for a discriminating Root Canal Man to invite her for an unfulfilling weekend at his summer share in the Hamptons.

Dan is a single 32 year old creative director at an advertising firm. Every night he eats poached salmon on kiwi fruit with a bunch of artists. And every night Dan vows that one day he will give up his job to become an artist.

They meet, fall in love, refuse to admit they are in love, take turns having crises of commitment and ultimately get married.

"Dan and Molly become bi-island (Manhattan and Long), with bi-pointe three children (a girl, a boy and an au pair), and bi-career."

Medea is a comic retelling of Medea. The actors are self-aware and present themselves as much. The acting style of the chorus and Medea is supposed to be traditional Greek which juxtaposes nicely the silliness of their lines. Jason contrasts their serious with his conversational tones. A deux ex machina in the form of an angel appears at the end. A nice spoof on classical theatre. One of the best lines of the play is from the messenger "Lady Teazle wishes you to know that Lady Windermere and Lady Bracknell are inviting you and Lady The-Scottish-Play to tea with her cousin Ernest, if he's not visiting Mr. Bunberry." The messenger is in the habit of giving his messages to the wrong people. All in all, this was a very delightful sketch.

I have started reading Some Things You Need to Know Before the World Ends (A Final Evening with the Illuminati) but am finding it difficult to get into. It has its comic moments but it is still a rough read.