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.
Show Information
- Book
- Eugène Ionesco
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- First Produced
- 1950
- Genres
- Farce
- Settings
- Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- An English interior of a middle-class English home. An English evening.
- Cast Size
- small
- Licensor
- Samuel French
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Ensemble Cast, High School, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Includes Adult Characters, Small Cast
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
to read the context for The Bald Soprano and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
“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
to read the plot for The Bald Soprano and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
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Lead |
Male |
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Lead |
Female |
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Lead |
Male |
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Lead |
Female |
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Supporting |
Female |
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Supporting |
Male |
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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
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Videos
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Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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