David Hare's "Secret Rapture"

Every month I read at least one non-Shakespearean play. This month's play is David Hare's "Secret Rapture."

The play is about a family that has recently lost its father--the mother is long dead. Katherine, the father's new wife, an alcoholic good-for-nothing, falls into the hand of Isobel, the youngest daughter. Isobel feels the need to take care of other people's problems, while her sister Marion accuses her of being selfish and making others feel guilty. Since Katherine is unemployed, and since nobody would employ her, Isobel feels obligated to find her a job and let her live in her flat after the house is sold. However, Isobel's own resources are minimal, and having Katherine around not only affects her job but also her relationship with her boyfriend Irwin. The story is about how Isobel comes to terms with her own desires and does something for herself for once, and how the people around her reveal their selfishness in response to her actions.

I have only experienced few of Hare's works. A while back I read his plays "The Blue Room" and "The Judas Kiss," the latter I found particularly moving. The film "The Hours," whose script he adapted from Michael Cunningham's novel, is one of my most favorite films of all time. "The Secret Rapture" would be a good show to see; it is well structured and orchestrated. I don't find the work to be a literary masterpiece--as I find many of Arthur Miller's works, for example--but it is the kind of work that makes good theater. It is a good read.