The Hairy Ape
Hairy Ape, The Author: Eugene O'Neill
First Performance: 1922, New York
Published: 1922
Genre: Drama in 8 scenes
Setting: Boiler room of a liner, New York street, prison, and zoo, 1920s
Cast: 7m, 2f, extras
In the crew's cramped living quarters on a transatlantic liner, Yank considers himself superior to his fellow stokers, rejecting the Marxist-Christian beliefs of Long and the nostalgia for ‘the good old days’ of Paddy. His complacency is shattered by Mildred Douglas, a rich heiress travelling with her aunt. Having an interest in social work, she inspects the boiler room and faints in alarm at seeing Yank, who appears to her as a ‘hairy ape’. Swearing revenge, he takes Long to Fifth Avenue, where he harangues a crowd of New York socialites leaving church. He is arrested and sent to prison where he...
[The entire page is 323 words long]
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