Goose and Tomtom

Book excerpt: “[A] violent, surrealist romp” from the Tony Award–winning playwright of Hurlyburly and Visiting Edna (The Brown Daily Herald). David Rabe explores the struggle between hope and anguish in the human spirit in this story of two small-time jewel thieves united in a strangely unsettling friendship and the constant fight to prove to themselves and others how tough they are. But when their frantic scheming suddenly begins to betray them in mysterious ways, they find themselves trapped into a kidnapping and a murder over which they seem to have no control. Or do they? David Rabe’s language creates and recreates reality in constantly surprising ways, magically dramatizing the danger of the power of illusion—and the illusion of power—with force and insight. “A potluck smorgasbord of surrealism, dream soliloquies, science fiction, noir potboiler and fairy tales, with the ghosts of such other writers as David Mamet, Harold Pinter, Sam Shepard and even novelist Thomas Pynchon hovering nearby . . . boasts ample proof of a top-notch writer at work.” —Chicago Tribune “A fast-paced, visceral work with a manic, anarchic energy . . . a chaotic examination of power and powerlessness in a frightening, irrational universe.” —The Brown Daily Herald “[A] surrealist, hilarious, mind-fuck of a play . . . a wild, high-energy ride through plot and action.” —LAist Praise for David Rabe “Few contemporary dramatists have dealt with violence, physical and psychological, more impressively than Rabe.” —Kirkus Reviews “A remarkable storyteller.” —Chicago Tribune “Rabe’s mastery of dialogue is the equal of Pinter and Mamet put together.” —The Boston Globe.