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THE MOTOR TRADE & THE AFFECTIONS OF MAY
Norm Foster
Reviewed by Gina Varty
Volume 22 Number 3
"Business" may come before "pleasure" in the dictionary, but, in these two plays, the characters take pleasure in engaging in all sorts of business. Penned by Norm Foster, winner of the 1988 Los Angeles Drama-Logue Critics Award for The Melville Boys (Playwrights Union, 1986), The Motor Trade and The Af fections of May both show a few of the ten commandments being broken and : proverbs debunked, for example, "marriages are made in heaven." The result is an uncompromising look at real people at work and play. The Motor Trade (two females, two males) is a jocular play set in a car showroom. Using locker-room language, two buddies and super salesmen talk about hockey, cars, racism and sex, explore their own relationship and relationships with women, and realize the importance of friendship and open communication. The main character in The Affections of May (one woman, three men) also learns some important lessons about neighbourliness and open relationships. A visitor to her bed & breakfast helps her to identify the difference between need and want, and engages her in a seductive word game. Norm Foster has doubly succeeded in illustrating the saying "two can play at that game," for in these coarse and charming plays real people play at work and work at play. Sage advice for the world-wise. Recommended for very mature readers. Gina Varty is the librarian with the Audio Visual Educational Library, United Church of Canada, in Edmonton, Alberta
The materials in this archive are copyright © The Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission Copyright information for reviewers
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