The humour in Mariana Carr's 1996 play, "Portia Coughlan" richly emphasizes the poignant story of harrowing tragedy because it is humour that humans rely on when the depth of tragedy runs overbearingly deep. It is through these extremes in emotions that the audience can truly experience second-ha...

There are likely as many similarities between these two plays as there are dramatic differences. And yet, both are extremely well- written, both allow the audience to peek into the living rooms and lives of interesting people, and both also put a microscope on socie...