Three Plays: Night of January 16th, Ideal, Think Twice

Ayn Rand stresses a philosophy of Objectivism: people must pursue their objectives and let nothing stand in their way. This seems to reflect the philosophy of Erich Fromm who wrote that people should be all that they can be, a theme that the US army accepted for its recruitment drive in the early 1980s. However, neither Fromm nor the Army went to Rand's extreme. Rand writes that people should be "selfish." Altruism, any concern for others, is "an evil," "a crime" against one's self. Thus she had a sexual affair with another man during her marriage, an affair that her husband knew about and suffered. Paul Gauguin may have been a Rand hero. He abandoned his wife, children and lucrative job. He betrayed his friends and fled his country in his quest to paint, and he was successful. Another example, one mentioned in Rand's last play, is a man driving a car at ninety miles an hour to get to his destination. He runs over an old lady and doesn't stop or look back. Thus the main character in the first of her three plays, her only successful play, was a thief and rapist, an embezzler like the recently imprisoned Bernie Madoff. He wanted money and let no one stop him. Rand asks her readers to decide if they think that the rapist is the ideal man. She admits that he is her ideal. The second play is similar. It did not appear on stage. Many people have an ideal in life, but when the opportunity arrives to achieve it, they refuse it. Rand's play shows examples of how many people in all social strata fail. One is handed his goal but refuses it because at the last minute he prefers money instead, another because of his wrong-headed idea about religion, another because his wife does not want what he wants, another because of sex, while still another, as so many people, has a goal that is so abstract and amorphous that when he sees the chance to obtain his goal, he does not recognize it. Two characters do what Ayn Rand's thinks is right: one kills himself to attain his objective; the other lets a person die. The third play, which was also never on stage, is a cleverly constructed murder mystery. The murdered man is an altruist. He helps people with his enormous wealth by giving what he feels is appropriate, but never ask what the person wants. Everyone in his house, every suspect, except one, hates him for his help. Ayn Rand wrote that anyone who truly understands her philosophy can figure out who is the murderer, but most people, she admits, are stymied. These are the only plays that Rand wrote. They exude her philosophy in fascinating dramatic ways. Readers are challenged to decide whether they agree with her.

Best known for her philosophy of Objectivism that permeates her novels, Ayn Rand also infused her stage plays with the same ideals and philosophical dilemmas. This collection of three plays, only one of which has been produced, is uneven and amateurish at times, but it highlights Rand's deepest beliefs in how people act. For any fan of her writings, "Three Plays" is a must read, but one does not need to be overtly familiar with her works to enjoy these words crafted for the stage. The first play, "Night of January 16th", is the only play to have been produced (however unhappy Rand was with the resulting changes) and also perhaps the strongest of the three. It is a courtroom drama where the jury is drawn from members of the audience, a situation which guarantees a different ending based on how the audience perceives the 'testimony' given by the characters. Another aspect that makes this play unique is that there are few, if any, truly likeable characters. In trying to determine if the murder victim was killed by his wife or his lover, the reader may find it hard to like or believe either woman. The second play, "Ideal", is the weakest of the collection, in which a beautiful Hollywood star is suspected of murder and seeks refuge from the police among a variety of her fans. All of these fans have written her letters pouring out their souls and their devotion to her, but all fail her in the end. It is a clunky piece, with descriptions, plot devices, and numerous location changes which makes it hard to picture this play being performed on stage, perhaps one of the reasons it was never produced. The final play, "Think Twice", is described as a philosophical murder mystery, and plays out like a closed-room mystery, where almost everyone in the house is a suspect. The course of the play examines whether what a person thinks and says matches their actions. It doesn't flow quite as smoothly as "Night of January 16th", and would lend itself well to some modernization if it were ever to be produced. This collectin of plays is helped tremendously by explanations from the author herself, especially regarding "Night of January 16th", which offer insights into what she was hoping to achieve with these plays.

Any Rand has been overlooked the past few years - she no longer appears on reading lists and I dont think her philosophy is covered in college courses. That is too bad - she is a great writer and her philosophies are worth exploring. I did not know she wrote plays, so I was surprised to find this book. I read the first of three, entitled Night of January 16th. It is a great play with an interesting twist. She wrote it so when it is performed, 12 people from the audience become the jury - their desicion affects the outcome of the play. I think that is a great idea and I wish someone would produce her work. I recommend this to anyone who has read anythig by Rand and is looking for some new material to study. Her writing is, as always, on point and her ablility to make a play needs to be explored more often. I hope more people read it and take a liking to her novels.