THE HAPPY JOURNEY
Synopsis:
The play dramatises the Kirby family's simple journey in their Chevrolet to elder daughter Beulah's house in Camden.
But there is more to this play than the banal rituals of a family excursion. Along the way, Ma reprimands her son Arthur for his wisecrack about her pious devotion to God. Her daughter Caroline is a daydreamer, but when she spits out of the car window, Ma scolds her too. Ma is a strong woman who has a habit of sitting in judgment of other people, but she cares little about what others think of her.
She has lost a son to war, so she is resigned to the inevitability of death and knows people must continue to go about their business, placing their faith in a benevolent God, even if mankind doesn't understand how he controls the universe.
BHTC NOTES: Performed as an evening of three short plays it is not clear from the information available how many performances were involved.
THE HAPPY JOURNEY
Playwright: Thornton Wilder (1931)
Genre: Drama
Directed by: Sheila Rumney
Production Date: Spring 1955
Group: Burgess Hill Theatre Club (BHTC)
Staged: St Andrews Parish Room Burgess Hill
BHTC Production Number: 3
