Publisher's Synopsis
Spalding Gray's (1941-2004) career in the theatre spanned one of the most dynamic periods of American history and culture. From the 1960s and into the 21st century Gray took the stage and mesmerized his audiences with twisted and often hilarious tales about life in America and abroad.ÞÞÊSpalding Gray's AmericaÊ traces Gray's life from his work with the famous Performance and Wooster Groups to his career as a storyteller famously presenting captivating monologues in his signature plaid shirt while sitting behind a desk on an otherwise bare stage. His monologues include ÊSex and Death to the Age 14Ê ÊSwimming to CambodiaÊ Gray's AnatomyÊ ÊMonster in a BoxÊ It's a Slippery SlopeÊ and ÊMorning Noon and NightÊ. Successful as these monologues were on the stage many of them have also been converted to feature films including ÊSwimming to CambodiaÊ directed by Jonathan Demme and ÊGray's AnatomyÊ directed by Steven Soderbergh.ÞÞGray's stories provide a quirky full-color portrait of America in the last half of what has been famously labeled the American century. They are poignant touching and often troubling but they're also vividly insightful and invariably funny. ÊSpalding Gray's AmericaÊ captures the essence of Spalding Gray's theatre and storytelling. And it reveals Gray's deep but conflicted passion for the homeland that gave him the opportunity to be a true American original.
