Peach is Dead: the infusion of comedy into contemporary American drama

Abstract

This thesis consists of an original play written in the tradition of contemporary seriocomic American drama. Peach is Dead explores a disintegrating friendship between four complex women. Although the subject and outcome of the play is serious, the play retains a humorous tone. Against the backdrop of a funeral and a wedding, these four women wrestle with issues such as forgiveness and acceptance. Jane, the central character, blames the death of their friend Peach, on Monica, a friend who had recently had an affair with Peach's husband. Because Jane is unable to forgive Monica for her supposed sin, she is doomed to destroy the very friendships that she so desperately needs. Her judgmental nature hinders her from seeing the true culprit, Peach's sister Lucie. While the other characters forgive and accept each other, Jane is ultimately alone because she is unable to do so. In the introduction to Peach is Dead I present the current trend of seriocomic playwriting in contemporary American drama. I compare this trend to the traditional definition of tragedy and comedy in order to define seriocomic. I also contrast seriocomedy to the traditional blending of tragedy and comedy, tragicomedy, focusing on Shakespearean and Absurdist plays. I intend the introduction to place my play within this current trend in contemporary playwriting. Although the introduction is not the main body of the thesis, it is a frame clarifying the drama.