The Night Heron Book

I read this because a friend who staged the play last November sent me a copy.

I don't read many scripts, but this one reminded me how much I can like it: we need to stage it ourselves in some way in our imagination, and I enjoyed that this time. And it's a pretty rich text, so it's nice to linger and reread and consider, in a way that's difficult when attending a production.

And, I sure wish I could see this on the stage too. The energy and absurdity of the fourth act made me miss seeing theater performed.

The gardening theme and recorded narrative really worked for me: borders and perennials and tender perennials; mulches and frosts; garden and greenhouse and gardener. Gardeners and strimmers.

Nice touch that Butterworth shared his name with his central character. I really want to read more from this guy.

One favorite line was actually a closing stage direction: "A shot rings out. The birds cry out. The tape continues." Solidarity and the endless unfolding of story.