Publisher's Synopsis
THE HOPPER COLLECTION follows the story of a married woman, Marjorie, obsessed by an encounter with the New England artist Edward Hopper. "Based on the evidence of HOPPER ... Mat Smart is a talent worth keeping an eye on for some time to come. HOPPER is an impressive debut. It's - yes - smart, as well as fresh, funny and full of unexpected turns and curiously evocative moments. Still more impressive is the skill with which Smart has created an individual voice for each character. Daniel may complain of 'the endless hell that is having a wife that doesn't love you but still wants to talk' - with a wonderfully meaningful emphasis on that final word. But even more than his cleverly evolving situations and wry observations, it's the way these characters talk that marks THE HOPPER COLLECTION as the work of a very promising artist." -Robert Hurwitt, San Francisco Chronicle "A work of art ... Albee's influence on Smart is all to the good as the play progresses ... The twenty-six year-old is wise beyond his years about how people live, and don't live, their lives. There is a measure of innocence as well as experience in Hopper's painting, and those two qualities are apparent in Smart's play as well. Real theatrical flair." -Ed Siegel, Boston Globe "Intriguing ... acerbic and touching! Clever and slightly absurdist ... the barbed sophistication and the innocence at the heart of the play." -Carolyn Clay, Boston Phoenix "Wonderfully crazy-funny characters ... Sparks fly! Smart proves he's a talent worth watching." -Terry Byrne, Boston Herald
