"The Elephant Man" by Bernard Pomerance

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A short but powerful play. The Elephant Man is John Merrick, a horribly deformed man. The appellation refers to his humongous head. Anyway, initially Merrick works as a virtual prisoner in a freakshow, till he is "rescued" by a kindly doctor, who transforms him into the toast of society. Highly intelligent, especially when all the socialites see Merrick as a reflection of themselves. The play itself won the Tony and other awards, I hear. There happens to be a movie entitled the Elephant Man, released in 1980, with Anthony Hopkins, John Gielgud, Vanessa Redgrave, and John Hurt as Merrick. The movie isn't based on the Broadway play, though. This is the trailer, which is awful, by the way.

However, if you want a quick but thought-provoking read, I recommend the book. Can't recommend the movie, though, as I haven't seen it yet.

Read: 1/4/09

5/5 stars

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