The Playgoer: Wilson & Richards

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Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Wilson & Richards

It's interesting that Shteir blames some of Wilson's messiness and long-windedness on Lloyd Richards. First, as Parabasis rightly corrects her, Richards didn't direct the play she refers to (King Hedley II). Also, many credit Richards with giving Wilson the shape and discpline he so clearly needed in his early plays (Ma Rainey through Piano Lesson). The signs of slackening were evident in their last collaboration Seven Guitars. After the two split, this criticism of Wilson's writing only grew. The collaboration with Richards will surely figure prominently in future studies of Wilson, but few will probably assign to him the responsibility for Wilson's logorrhea.

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