Overview
Synopsis
Eugène Ionesco’s The Bald Soprano is a masterful classic of the Theatre of the Absurd. One English evening, an English couple, the Smiths, sit in their English home after an English supper, awaiting the arrival of their English friends, the Martins, for an English dinner party. The Martins arrive and, after puzzling the mystery out for some time, realize that they are husband and wife. The evening begins in a respectable English manner as the couples exchange meaningless anecdotes and tell nonsensical stories. Over the course of the evening, the party slides into chaos as tempers flare and communication breaks down entirely.
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Context
The Bald Soprano was the first play written by absurdist playwright Eugène Ionesco. Ionesco was inspired to write the piece while learning English; amused and intrigued by the practice phrases in his introductory course, he decided to write a play depicting an “English evening” of a “Englishman” and “Englishwoman.” Ionesco considered titling the play L’anglais sans peine (“English without toil”), Il pleut des chiens et des chats (It’s raining cats and dogs), L’heure anglaise (“The
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“SCENE: _A middle-class English interior, with English armchairs. An English evening. Mr. Smith, an Englishman, seated in his English armchair and wearing English slippers, is smoking his English pipe and reading his English newspaper, near an English fire. He is wearing English spectacles and a small gray English mustache. Beside him, in another English armchair, Mrs. Smith, an Englishwoman, is darning some English socks. A long moment of English silence. The English clock strikes 17 English
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Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
Farce is a comedic style that emphasizes exaggerated situations, improbable coincidences, mistaken identities, and rapid pacing. It often includes physical humor such as slamming doors, frantic chases, or characters hiding in plain sight. Farce is designed to generate nonstop laughter, often prioritizing chaos and absurdity over realistic storytelling.
Grotesque refers to a style of theatre that blends the bizarre, distorted, or monstrous with comic or sympathetic elements. It often exaggerates physical or emotional traits to provoke both laughter and discomfort in audiences. In drama, the grotesque highlights the strange or unsettling while still revealing human vulnerability and truth.
Meta-theatre refers to drama that draws attention to itself as a play, reminding audiences that they are watching a performance. This may include breaking the fourth wall, plays-within-plays, or showing the mechanics of stagecraft. By highlighting its own theatricality, meta-theatre often creates humor, irony, or deeper reflection.
A non sequitur is a line of dialogue or statement that does not logically follow from what was said before. In drama, it is often used to break the expected flow of conversation, creating humor, surprise, or confusion. This device highlights how communication can become unpredictable or meaningless when logical connections are abandoned.
Satire is a dramatic style that uses humor, irony, and exaggeration to criticize human behavior, social institutions, or political systems. In theatre, it highlights flaws and hypocrisies through wit and parody, encouraging audiences to laugh while also reflecting on serious issues. Satire can range from lighthearted comedy to biting social commentary, making it both entertaining and thought-provoking.
A dramatic movement featuring illogical dialogue, cyclical plots, and existential themes, reflecting the absurdity of human existence.
Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
Themes
The Absurdity of Communication The play
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