The Skin of Our Teeth

The Skin of Our Teeth
Name	The Skin of Our Teeth
Writer	Thornton Wilder
Characters	George Antrobus, Mrs. Antrobus, Henry Antrobus, Sabina
Setting	Excelsior, New Jersey, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Premiere	November 18, 1942
Place	Shubert Theatre (New York City)

The Skin of Our Teeth is a play written by Thornton Wilder, first performed on November 18, 1942, at the Shubert Theatre (New York City), directed by Elia Kazan and starring Tallulah Bankhead as Sabina and Fredric March as George Antrobus. The play is a Pulitzer Prize-winning work that explores the human condition through the story of the Antrobus family, who have lived through ice ages, floods, and wars, including the American Civil War and World War I. The play's themes and characters have been compared to the works of Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, and Arthur Miller, and have been influenced by the Biblical account of Noah's Ark and the myth of Atlantis.

Introduction

The play is set in Excelsior, New Jersey, and Atlantic City, New Jersey, and features a unique blend of comedy, tragedy, and satire, drawing on the works of Aristophanes, Shakespeare, and Molière. The play's use of meta-theatricality and breaking the fourth wall has been compared to the works of Bertolt Brecht and Eugene Ionesco, and has influenced the development of absurdist theatre and the theatre of the absurd. The play's exploration of the human condition has been influenced by the works of Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Jean-Paul Sartre, and has been compared to the works of Albert Camus and Samuel Beckett.

Plot

The play follows the story of the Antrobus family, who have lived through ice ages, floods, and wars, including the American Civil War and World War I. The family's story is told through a series of vignettes, each set in a different time period, from the Stone Age to the present day. The play's plot is influenced by the works of H.G. Wells and George Bernard Shaw, and features a unique blend of science fiction and social commentary. The play's exploration of the human condition has been compared to the works of T.S. Eliot and James Joyce, and has been influenced by the modernist movement and the Lost Generation.

Characters

The play features a range of characters, including George Antrobus, Mrs. Antrobus, Henry Antrobus, and Sabina, who serve as a kind of everyman and everywoman. The characters are influenced by the works of William Shakespeare and Molière, and have been compared to the characters of Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller. The play's characters have also been influenced by the works of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, and feature a unique blend of psychological complexity and symbolism. The characters' development has been compared to the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy, and has been influenced by the realist movement and the naturalist movement.

Themes

The play explores a range of themes, including the human condition, love, family, and survival. The play's themes are influenced by the works of Aristotle and Immanuel Kant, and have been compared to the themes of T.S. Eliot and James Joyce. The play's exploration of the human condition has been influenced by the works of Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Jean-Paul Sartre, and has been compared to the works of Albert Camus and Samuel Beckett. The play's themes have also been influenced by the existentialist movement and the absurdist movement, and feature a unique blend of philosophical complexity and symbolism.

Production_History

The play was first performed on November 18, 1942, at the Shubert Theatre (New York City), directed by Elia Kazan and starring Tallulah Bankhead as Sabina and Fredric March as George Antrobus. The play was a critical and commercial success, and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1943. The play has since been performed numerous times, including productions at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre (London), and has been directed by Peter Brook and Trevor Nunn. The play's production history has been influenced by the works of Konstantin Stanislavski and Lee Strasberg, and has been compared to the productions of Bertolt Brecht and Eugene Ionesco.

Reception

The play received widespread critical acclaim, with many critics praising its unique blend of comedy, tragedy, and satire. The play's use of meta-theatricality and breaking the fourth wall was particularly praised, with many critics comparing it to the works of Bertolt Brecht and Eugene Ionesco. The play's exploration of the human condition was also widely praised, with many critics comparing it to the works of T.S. Eliot and James Joyce. The play's reception has been influenced by the theatre critics of the time, including Brooks Atkinson and Walter Kerr, and has been compared to the reception of other plays, including Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and A Streetcar Named Desire. The play has also been recognized with numerous awards, including the Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award, and has been inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame.

Category:American plays