The Bald Soprano

play written by Eugène Ionesco. It was played for the first time in may 1950 at the Théâtre des Noctambules. After 1957 it became permanent on the théâtre de la Huchette. With a record number of interpretations, it became one of the plays most performed in France and it received a Molière d'honneur.

Origin

The idea of the play came to Ionesco while he was trying to learn English with the Assimil method. He was impressed by the contents of the dialogues, often very sober and strange, so he decided to write an absurde play named L'anglais sans peine ("English without pain"). The current title was set only after a lapsus during one of the repetitions.

Contents

It's almost impossible to summarize the play as the absurd is omnipresent. The Smiths, a traditional family from London welcome the Martins, also the fireman captain pays them a visit, who will recognize in Mary an old friend. But this summary doesn't give the environment of the play and also no intrigue is present.