Starrs, D: Suicide Plays

This collection of four stage plays, all separately published before, is introduced by an essay on "The Werther Effect". Although linked by a common theme of self-murder they should not be misunderstood as attempts to glamorise the act. The first play, entitled "Hamlet + Ophelia = ?", is deliberately provocative. It is hoped, however, that the protagonists of this angry little piece are seen to be impetuous and childish, rather than noble or deep. The second play, "Games for Married Couples", is less about seppuku than it is about the despair of child-less marriage. It is not much happier than the first, but may nevertheless raise a smile or two. "His ... or Her ... Suicide", on the other hand, is utterly frivolous, and no-one is expected to take it seriously. The last of the four plays is the stage adaptation (and translation) of Goethe‘‘s classic 1774 novella "Die Leiden des jungen Werthers" and was produced as part of the author‘‘s 2005 Master of Creative Arts at the University of Melbourne in Australia.