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Prodigal Son
"A keen, passionate portrait of the author as a poetry-spouting romantic punk torn between literary dreams and his roots in the Bronx... Prodigal Son is pure, splendid shaggily idealistic and always scratching a philosophical itch underneath jokes and banter." -- Davide Cote, Time Out New York
“Shanley chooses characters stretched to the breaking point between rage and love… His are characters of obsessive passions who match those passions with hyper-melodic language.” -- BOMB magazine
When a troubled but gifted boy from the South Bronx arrives at a private school in New Hampshire, two faculty members wrestle with how to help him adjust to his new environment. The boy is violent, brilliant, alienated, and on fire with a ferocious loneliness. As with his Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Doubt , John Patrick Shanley has drawn on his personal experiences to create an explosive portrait of a young man on the verge of either salvation or destruction.
John Patrick Shanley is the author of Doubt, a parable (Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Tony Award for Best Play), Outside Mullingar (Tony nomination for Best Play), Defiance, Storefront Church, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea , and Dirty Story , among many other plays. He wrote the teleplay for Live from Baghdad (Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing of a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special) and the screenplays for Congo, Alive, Five Corners, Joe Versus the Volcano, Doubt, a parable (Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay) and Moonstruck (Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay).
“Shanley chooses characters stretched to the breaking point between rage and love… His are characters of obsessive passions who match those passions with hyper-melodic language.” -- BOMB magazine
When a troubled but gifted boy from the South Bronx arrives at a private school in New Hampshire, two faculty members wrestle with how to help him adjust to his new environment. The boy is violent, brilliant, alienated, and on fire with a ferocious loneliness. As with his Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Doubt , John Patrick Shanley has drawn on his personal experiences to create an explosive portrait of a young man on the verge of either salvation or destruction.
John Patrick Shanley is the author of Doubt, a parable (Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Tony Award for Best Play), Outside Mullingar (Tony nomination for Best Play), Defiance, Storefront Church, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea , and Dirty Story , among many other plays. He wrote the teleplay for Live from Baghdad (Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing of a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special) and the screenplays for Congo, Alive, Five Corners, Joe Versus the Volcano, Doubt, a parable (Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay) and Moonstruck (Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay).
80 pages, Paperback
First published May 10, 2016
About the author
John Patrick Shanley
69 books125 followersJohn Patrick Shanley was born in The Bronx, New York City, to a telephone operator mother and a meat-packer father. He is a graduate of New York University, and is a member of the Ensemble Studio Theatre.
For his script for the 1987 film, Moonstruck, Shanley won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.
In 1990, Shanley directed his script of Joe Versus the Volcano. Shanley also wrote two songs for the movie: "Marooned Without You" and "The Cowboy Song."
In 2004 Shanley was inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame.
In 2005, Shanley's play Doubt: A Parable was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Drama Desk Award and Tony Award for Best Play. Doubt: A Parable, is featured in The Fourth Wall, a book of photographs by Amy Arbus in which Shanley also wrote the foreword.
In 2008, Shanley directed a film version of Doubt starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams.
For his script for the 1987 film, Moonstruck, Shanley won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.
In 1990, Shanley directed his script of Joe Versus the Volcano. Shanley also wrote two songs for the movie: "Marooned Without You" and "The Cowboy Song."
In 2004 Shanley was inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame.
In 2005, Shanley's play Doubt: A Parable was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Drama Desk Award and Tony Award for Best Play. Doubt: A Parable, is featured in The Fourth Wall, a book of photographs by Amy Arbus in which Shanley also wrote the foreword.
In 2008, Shanley directed a film version of Doubt starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
April 25, 2019
“The only way I know anything about what I am is what I see in other people’s eyes."
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March 2, 2020
April 5, 2021
من مدت‌ها پیش یه مونولوگ از اجرای این دیدم که خیلی همون موقع تأثیرگذار بود برام. الآن هم رفتم نمایش‌نامه‌ش رو خوندم، و واقعاً لذت بردم ازش. منطق جیم و رفرنس‌های ادبی و فلسفی‌ش رو می‌فهمیدم و بنابراین همه‌چی برام با عقل جور در می‌اومد. هرچند مشخصاً ایرادات زیادی می‌شه بهش گرفت، مثل پایان شتاب‌زده‌ش و شخصیت‌پردازی‌ها که گمونم بخاطر کوتاه بودن نمایش‌نامه زیاد خوب نبودن، ولی من دوستش داشتم. احتمالاً چند بار دیگه هم بخونمش.
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June 26, 2022“You think everything's coming at you, when what's really happening is everything's coming from you. You're not the devastation. You're the explosion.”
Jim is filled with this insatiable longing to just live deeply and truly and god it’s just really relatable lol.
Alsooooo the quote “do you remember fifteen”…….I just really like that because I hope that when I am older I have compassion for my younger self. I hope I remember that everything I feel now matters a ton and even tho it might not matter to me in 20 years, that doesn’t dim the importance of those feelings.
I’ve wanted to read this play for like a year now and I’m so happy I did because it’s so good. I’ve read parts of it but never the full script before. I love how it’s short and straightforward while not lacking in depth. Side note….it took me about 50 years to find an actual free pdf to read of this thing like come onnnnn
Jim is filled with this insatiable longing to just live deeply and truly and god it’s just really relatable lol.
Alsooooo the quote “do you remember fifteen”…….I just really like that because I hope that when I am older I have compassion for my younger self. I hope I remember that everything I feel now matters a ton and even tho it might not matter to me in 20 years, that doesn’t dim the importance of those feelings.
I’ve wanted to read this play for like a year now and I’m so happy I did because it’s so good. I’ve read parts of it but never the full script before. I love how it’s short and straightforward while not lacking in depth. Side note….it took me about 50 years to find an actual free pdf to read of this thing like come onnnnn
May 23, 2021
Somewhat shockingly disappointing, from someone whose plays I generally enjoy - even with Timothée Chalamet in the lead off Broadway, this got rather scathing reviews. Purportedly based upon the playwright's own experiences in a private high school, the scenes plod along with very little momentum or point. And the ending is just a mess.
September 10, 2021
I am cheating here- I was an insider, the brother of Austin in the play and a student at the school. The story is true; the author and protagonist, John Patrick Shanley, is a master of his craft, who recreates something long forgotten but worth remembering- the struggle for ideals in the age of formation in the sublime cauldron of chaos that is the preparatory school experience. The character Jim’s striving to reach the stars is recognized by 3 main characters, Carl, Louise and Hoffman, who while struggling to understand him, are faced with their own flawed natures. I was touched by Shanley’s depiction of the powerful love between Carl & Louise which plays a pivotal role in the final outcome. Prejudiced as I am admittedly, I found this truthful and compelling rendering to be an great insight into the author’s integrity. The idealistic search for a fulfilled and purposeful life as true as Socrates or even Jesus himself resonates and overcomes the frail nature of man. I can truly say, not just that truth is stranger than fiction, but can also be far nobler and more compelling.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2020
This was a very small play (unexpectedly for some reason?).
I'd seen footage of Timothée Chalamet performing a monologue from it and so it's been in the back of my head. Feels strange that this was written in 2016? However these kind of Discourses on teaching and the power of the written word I find fascinating. The main character feels like such a classic enigma child though which was a bit of a throw off. Would love to see it live.
“Teachers don’t tell you what they tell you in books. Charles Dickens tells you everything. Henry Miller tells you everything. Teachers tell you about other people, never themselves. You teach Religion, but I don’t know anything about religion from you. I’ve never seen your soul. I’ve never met your God.”
I'd seen footage of Timothée Chalamet performing a monologue from it and so it's been in the back of my head. Feels strange that this was written in 2016? However these kind of Discourses on teaching and the power of the written word I find fascinating. The main character feels like such a classic enigma child though which was a bit of a throw off. Would love to see it live.
“Teachers don’t tell you what they tell you in books. Charles Dickens tells you everything. Henry Miller tells you everything. Teachers tell you about other people, never themselves. You teach Religion, but I don’t know anything about religion from you. I’ve never seen your soul. I’ve never met your God.”
November 2, 2021
• “First you need to think I’m good, then I’m good”
• “The only way I know anything about how I am is what I see in other people’s eyes”
This is a play that follows a ‘troubled’ boy, Jim, and his relationship to self, religion, literature, and authority. I really enjoyed how this play explored the importance of young people having an older person see the good in them without having to prove themselves. I also liked that none of the characters were black and white - they all had ‘something’. Only took about an hour to read :) worth my time, I think.
• “The only way I know anything about how I am is what I see in other people’s eyes”
This is a play that follows a ‘troubled’ boy, Jim, and his relationship to self, religion, literature, and authority. I really enjoyed how this play explored the importance of young people having an older person see the good in them without having to prove themselves. I also liked that none of the characters were black and white - they all had ‘something’. Only took about an hour to read :) worth my time, I think.
December 30, 2023
“But everybody talks to me like I’m the one. I should change. Why should I change? I’ve never even gotten to find out who I am and you want me to change? That’s crazy! You tell me I’m bad before I even get to be anything. What the hell is that? Original sin or something?”
Welp, this was a treat.
John Patrick Shanley writes, in Prodigal Son, almost autobiographically, about a misfit student, Jim Quinn, who tries to find his way in academia during the War.
I discovered this play from an Instagram reel which showed a clip of Timothee Chalamet delivering the cathartic monologue in a 2016 theatrical.
As a student who literally begged my parents on my knees to let me do Humanities, I really connected with the main character. High school has given me the worst, god-awful years of my life. In a condensed environment where your perspective is considered shit and art is merely a “medium” only, and everyone expects the best out of you or nothing, one can only combust into flames.
Obviously, there are tons of people with similar stories out there, but this particularly touched me a lot. It’s sad that we still have to go through it.
“You think everything’s coming at you, when what’s really happening is everything’s coming from you. You’re not the devastation. You’re the explosion.”
Short but striking and sharp.
★ ★ ★ ★ .5 /5
Highly recommend this to lovers of Dead Poets Society <3
⊹ . ⋆ ☽ ⋆ . ➶
Welp, this was a treat.
John Patrick Shanley writes, in Prodigal Son, almost autobiographically, about a misfit student, Jim Quinn, who tries to find his way in academia during the War.
I discovered this play from an Instagram reel which showed a clip of Timothee Chalamet delivering the cathartic monologue in a 2016 theatrical.
As a student who literally begged my parents on my knees to let me do Humanities, I really connected with the main character. High school has given me the worst, god-awful years of my life. In a condensed environment where your perspective is considered shit and art is merely a “medium” only, and everyone expects the best out of you or nothing, one can only combust into flames.
Obviously, there are tons of people with similar stories out there, but this particularly touched me a lot. It’s sad that we still have to go through it.
“You think everything’s coming at you, when what’s really happening is everything’s coming from you. You’re not the devastation. You’re the explosion.”
Short but striking and sharp.
★ ★ ★ ★ .5 /5
Highly recommend this to lovers of Dead Poets Society <3
⊹ . ⋆ ☽ ⋆ . ➶
March 14, 2022
Read while laying in the sun on a blanket in my backyard and cried a little bit. beautiful 😭 wish I could've seen this real time. So many deep & mysterious connections to it - I wonder what it'll all lead to / why God put it in me. Love to think of all the things that led to & connect to this - like east of eden & little women & weeding at the farm in Tim & Kathy's backyard. Dream work! Glad I came across the James Quinn (timmy) speech on YouTube at the time I did bc it led to this. Pensando en mi estudiante BB right now. May he encounter more people like these characters immediately 🖤
"How do you educate a boy like that?"
"Love."
"How do you educate a boy like that?"
"Love."
March 19, 2023
A rather predictable play about a delinquent teen on a scholarship at a Catholic boarding school during the 1960s. I'm surprised this was published by TCG.
March 4, 2020
Boy do I feel for the prodigal son. What keeps me coming back to Shanley is his unabashed love for literary and philosophical references and making them a part of the dialogue of the story. His characters, and I would suppose, Shanley, himself are thinkers...and so not only do we get these brilliantly crafted characters like Jim, Mr. Hoffman (even the tiny role of Austin!), etc, but we also get to hear them wrestle with the words of the dead. Since the play is set in a school, this kind of talk feels even more natural. But boy, Jim, do I feel for you buddy.
November 27, 2020
3.5
So much I now want to read from this. Every time a poet or book was mentioned, now I must read it. I liked this a lot, tho I found it lost it's flow at certain points, but I'd like to watch the play first before solidifying my opinion.
So much I now want to read from this. Every time a poet or book was mentioned, now I must read it. I liked this a lot, tho I found it lost it's flow at certain points, but I'd like to watch the play first before solidifying my opinion.
January 16, 2019
A cathartic read-
September 1, 2023
A hobby of mine is to come up with alternative titles for the books and plays i’ve read. What it could be called that would express the content better. But for the life of me i could not come up with a better title for this play. It feels like it was written in the fates or something.
The story is fascinating. It left me speechless and i love how efficient and quick the dialogue and topics are. No one dwells on a topic for so long it feels stretched out. The writing is beautiful.
I am the master of fate but i’ve always found it hard to believe it. I find a lot of myself in James and his ideologies and it reminds me of this poem, “A lost son is called prodigal /A lost daughter is just called lost.” The harder I try to be the captain of my soul the harder the universe pushes me off my pedestal. I try to be a romantic but it never works out. I try to find my purpose but it stays lost. I try to find out if character is destiny and it goes over my head. I wonder if I am doomed to the person I was born with and I have never reached a conclusion. James’ impatience and (i don’t know a better word for it but) urgency to know himself resonates within me so deeply it took me a moment to regain myself after reading -
“JIM: The only way I know anything about how I am is what I see in other people’s eyes.”
“JIM: Please, Alan. Tell me what I am.”
Something that really struck me was the description of his loneliness-
“JIM: Shut up. “Adam, standing buck naked and stock still, / Listened quietly to the dew as it settled. He stood chilly, and damp, and quite alone. A half of a man with a fiery, aching rib.”
AUSTIN: That’s it?
JIM: Yeah.
AUSTIN: That’s Adam from the Bible, right?
JIM: Yeah. It’s about loneliness. He’s the only person in the world. Everything’s good, but he’s the only person in the world.
AUSTIN: Is it about you?
JIM: I don’t know.
AUSTIN: I’ll tell you right out. I’m not embarrassed. I miss my mom.
JIM: But when you’re with your mom, are you still lonely then?
AUSTIN: No, why would I be? I’m with her.
JIM: Right. What about the other loneliness?
AUSTIN: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
JIM: When you’re home with your family, don’t you get lonely then, too?”
He’s visceral and real and in your face about his imbalance.
What I expected and was yet surprised by was what Hoffman was. The contrast of it with what Schmitt did was fascinating in the way that it shows the flaw in how we see people.
Schmitt is not someone we would call an ethically bad person but Jim’s view of him is that of a horrible sadist meanwhile he views Hoffman like an angel who saved him (which he did, despite his intentions).
This proves that when Jim said “JIM: The only way I know anything about how I am is what I see in other people’s eyes.” It applies not only to him but to everyone else!
Schmitt believed that what he did was irredeemable. That he did not deserve to be forgiven and so he became the monster (or acted like one). Hoffman only saw love and admiration in the eyes of his students and so he became the angel.
“This school has been a miracle for me, but not because of you. Because somebody, Mr. Hoffman, finally saw me. And more than that. Somebody, a grown person, decided I was good before I was good“
Not just Jim but Schmitt too needed someone to believe he was good before he believed it himself. For him it was his wife. For Jim, it was Hoffman.
4stars because what the fuck was that weird nazi metaphor. Use LITERALLY anything else. And I guess the end did really prove Jim and his ideas wrong. About the whole “Character is destiny” meaning that his entire fucked up theory about it was wrong but still. WHY.
The story is fascinating. It left me speechless and i love how efficient and quick the dialogue and topics are. No one dwells on a topic for so long it feels stretched out. The writing is beautiful.
I am the master of fate but i’ve always found it hard to believe it. I find a lot of myself in James and his ideologies and it reminds me of this poem, “A lost son is called prodigal /A lost daughter is just called lost.” The harder I try to be the captain of my soul the harder the universe pushes me off my pedestal. I try to be a romantic but it never works out. I try to find my purpose but it stays lost. I try to find out if character is destiny and it goes over my head. I wonder if I am doomed to the person I was born with and I have never reached a conclusion. James’ impatience and (i don’t know a better word for it but) urgency to know himself resonates within me so deeply it took me a moment to regain myself after reading -
“JIM: The only way I know anything about how I am is what I see in other people’s eyes.”
“JIM: Please, Alan. Tell me what I am.”
Something that really struck me was the description of his loneliness-
“JIM: Shut up. “Adam, standing buck naked and stock still, / Listened quietly to the dew as it settled. He stood chilly, and damp, and quite alone. A half of a man with a fiery, aching rib.”
AUSTIN: That’s it?
JIM: Yeah.
AUSTIN: That’s Adam from the Bible, right?
JIM: Yeah. It’s about loneliness. He’s the only person in the world. Everything’s good, but he’s the only person in the world.
AUSTIN: Is it about you?
JIM: I don’t know.
AUSTIN: I’ll tell you right out. I’m not embarrassed. I miss my mom.
JIM: But when you’re with your mom, are you still lonely then?
AUSTIN: No, why would I be? I’m with her.
JIM: Right. What about the other loneliness?
AUSTIN: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
JIM: When you’re home with your family, don’t you get lonely then, too?”
He’s visceral and real and in your face about his imbalance.
What I expected and was yet surprised by was what Hoffman was. The contrast of it with what Schmitt did was fascinating in the way that it shows the flaw in how we see people.
Schmitt is not someone we would call an ethically bad person but Jim’s view of him is that of a horrible sadist meanwhile he views Hoffman like an angel who saved him (which he did, despite his intentions).
This proves that when Jim said “JIM: The only way I know anything about how I am is what I see in other people’s eyes.” It applies not only to him but to everyone else!
Schmitt believed that what he did was irredeemable. That he did not deserve to be forgiven and so he became the monster (or acted like one). Hoffman only saw love and admiration in the eyes of his students and so he became the angel.
“This school has been a miracle for me, but not because of you. Because somebody, Mr. Hoffman, finally saw me. And more than that. Somebody, a grown person, decided I was good before I was good“
Not just Jim but Schmitt too needed someone to believe he was good before he believed it himself. For him it was his wife. For Jim, it was Hoffman.
4stars because what the fuck was that weird nazi metaphor. Use LITERALLY anything else. And I guess the end did really prove Jim and his ideas wrong. About the whole “Character is destiny” meaning that his entire fucked up theory about it was wrong but still. WHY.
August 19, 2024
É sempre uma surpresa deliciosa me deparar com um texto que fala tanto sobre mim. Talvez seja só meu egocentrismo, mas gosto de me reconhecer em leituras de pessoas que parecem, pelo menos à primeira vista, tão diferentes. Ou talvez seja só uma necessidade de conexão, de tentar entender quem eu sou sempre a partir do reconhecimento de pontos em comum com estranhos. Acho que é por isso que o protagonista dessa peça, Jim Quinn, reflita tanto a minha essência. Um garoto que quer encontrar seu lugar no mundo, que entende a existência dele a partir da leitura de pessoas que já não vivem mais — e que, paradoxalmente, ainda vivem tanto nas páginas — e que só consegue desenvolver sua própria personalidade a partir da escrita, que lhe revela, quase de surpresa, aspectos dele que o personagem nem mesmo conhecia. É muito semelhante comigo e acho que isso me faz gostar ainda mais da peça. Mas é uma boa peça. É uma ótima peça. Falou comigo de jeitos únicos. Me fez querer escrever uma peça — e tudo que me faz querer escrever é algo bom pra mim. E também me lembrou que nenhuma experiência é, de fato, individual. E que bom que não é. Que bom que a gente consegue se ver nos outros e deixar que eles se vejam em nós.
"The german drew back his knife. He saw the Jew Man's strife. He asked, Where is your God now, Jew? The Jew replied, He's in your knife, which is about to run me through."
"The only way I know anything about how I am is what I see in other people's eyes."
"What's easy about idealism? | Ideals do the work for you. It's thoughtless. You don't have to allow for human frailty."
"Socrates prepared for death his whole life. That's why he was good at it."
"You don't think I'm good. | Convince me otherwise. | What if I'm not? | Then I don't want you here. | That's not the way it works, you know. First you need to think I'm good, then I'm good. | What do you think, that you should get an A before the class starts? | I think I should've gotten an A the day I was born."
"You think everything's coming at you, when what's really happening is everything's coming from you. You're not the devastation. You're the explosion."
"I can speak to great people who are gone. That's the gift I have been given and I thank God for it. We're all dead or about to be dead or we will never die because the human mind is a leaping spark. I know it! I do worship my ancestors. They're here right now. They make me understand and hunger for greatness. Still. Still. | Greatness is in the eye of the beholder, Jim."
"How can you forgive me? | Please. In the name of God. Let me forgive you."
"The german drew back his knife. He saw the Jew Man's strife. He asked, Where is your God now, Jew? The Jew replied, He's in your knife, which is about to run me through."
"The only way I know anything about how I am is what I see in other people's eyes."
"What's easy about idealism? | Ideals do the work for you. It's thoughtless. You don't have to allow for human frailty."
"Socrates prepared for death his whole life. That's why he was good at it."
"You don't think I'm good. | Convince me otherwise. | What if I'm not? | Then I don't want you here. | That's not the way it works, you know. First you need to think I'm good, then I'm good. | What do you think, that you should get an A before the class starts? | I think I should've gotten an A the day I was born."
"You think everything's coming at you, when what's really happening is everything's coming from you. You're not the devastation. You're the explosion."
"I can speak to great people who are gone. That's the gift I have been given and I thank God for it. We're all dead or about to be dead or we will never die because the human mind is a leaping spark. I know it! I do worship my ancestors. They're here right now. They make me understand and hunger for greatness. Still. Still. | Greatness is in the eye of the beholder, Jim."
"How can you forgive me? | Please. In the name of God. Let me forgive you."
June 17, 2024
Deeply moving. It houses my favorite monologue:
Jim: “Why is it your school? Why am I always in the wrong?
Why do I have to listen to you when you have zero to say? Because I'm young? All my life I've been young. So I never get a turn? This school is lost, if you ask me. You're lost. But everybody talks to me like I'm the one. I should change. Why should I change? I've never even gotten to find out who I am and you want me to change? That's crazy! You tell me I'm bad before I even get to be anything.
What the hell is that? Original sin or something? I read Plato. I read him on a park bench in the Bronx and let me tell you something. Plato wasn't afraid. Diogenes wasn't afraid. Socrates wasn't afraid of anything. They were men.
Why are you the headmaster and I'm the student? Do you understand? I have to earn your respect but you don't have to earn mine? What is that? It's you that wants the A before You even start. But when I say I want the same thing, I'm nuts, right? I'm not going to cry. I'm going to find my place in this world. Count on it. This school has been a miracle for me, but not because of you. Because somebody, Mr. Hoffman, finally saw me. And more than that. Somebody, a grown person, decided I was good before I was good. You want to throw me out of that? Then you know what I say:
I've never met your God and I don't want to.”
Jim: “Why is it your school? Why am I always in the wrong?
Why do I have to listen to you when you have zero to say? Because I'm young? All my life I've been young. So I never get a turn? This school is lost, if you ask me. You're lost. But everybody talks to me like I'm the one. I should change. Why should I change? I've never even gotten to find out who I am and you want me to change? That's crazy! You tell me I'm bad before I even get to be anything.
What the hell is that? Original sin or something? I read Plato. I read him on a park bench in the Bronx and let me tell you something. Plato wasn't afraid. Diogenes wasn't afraid. Socrates wasn't afraid of anything. They were men.
Why are you the headmaster and I'm the student? Do you understand? I have to earn your respect but you don't have to earn mine? What is that? It's you that wants the A before You even start. But when I say I want the same thing, I'm nuts, right? I'm not going to cry. I'm going to find my place in this world. Count on it. This school has been a miracle for me, but not because of you. Because somebody, Mr. Hoffman, finally saw me. And more than that. Somebody, a grown person, decided I was good before I was good. You want to throw me out of that? Then you know what I say:
I've never met your God and I don't want to.”
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July 17, 2022Estoy tan shockeada que no sé que puntuación ponerle. Porque es un relato de una vida. Y a la vida de alguien no puedo puntuarla. Se siente tan real la forma en la que habla de los sentimientos de la juventud, pero me pregunto si los planteos que se hace el personaje de Jim son cosas que pensó el autor cuando era adolescente o si surgieron una vez que creció. Me gustaría poder preguntarselo.
Mi parte favorita definitivamente:
"Why is it your school? Why am I always in the wrong? Why do I have to listen to you when you have zero to say? Because I’m young? All my life I’ve been young. So I never get a turn? [...] everybody talks to me like I’m the one. I should change. Why should I change? I’ve never even gotten to find out who I am and you want me to change? That’s crazy! You tell me I’m bad before I even get to be anything. [...] I have to earn your respect but you don’t have to earn mine? What is that? It’s you that wants the A before you even start. But when I say I want the same thing, I’m nuts, right?"
Mi parte favorita definitivamente:
"Why is it your school? Why am I always in the wrong? Why do I have to listen to you when you have zero to say? Because I’m young? All my life I’ve been young. So I never get a turn? [...] everybody talks to me like I’m the one. I should change. Why should I change? I’ve never even gotten to find out who I am and you want me to change? That’s crazy! You tell me I’m bad before I even get to be anything. [...] I have to earn your respect but you don’t have to earn mine? What is that? It’s you that wants the A before you even start. But when I say I want the same thing, I’m nuts, right?"
December 17, 2022
I think James Quinn is the kind of person who isn't necessarily bad, it just can be difficult with him because his morals are on the gray side of things and he likes to understand the world by testing every boundary he sees. Altogether I found this a very interesting play. I thought that the ending was a little chaotic, but maybe that's just a first impression. In addition i didn't understand why Mr. Hoffman did what he did at the end, because it just felt like the supporting figure just all of a sudden became a predator for no reason and then I got confused if this was the first time Mr. Schmitt found out. It must have been, but then why did he say that he would let him go in a year's time. I just got a little confused about that last minute story line, but maybe I'd understand it if i read some analyses. Lastly i liked the way the play ended. With the expectation that there would be another like him and that the ending of the play and the beginning match making a perfect loop.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2021
what a great play ! It was so pleasant to read these dialogues, all the literary and philosophy references were captivating, I was just a bit frustrated by the shortness of this story, I would have loved more material.
otherwise, let me say that I would have died to watch this play live in NYC (off-Broadway) back in 2016 because the cast was epic ! I mean not only the public had the chance to see Timothée Chalamet portraying Jim, a young talented boy from the Bronx in existential crisis , but moreover they saw Robert Sean Leonard as Alan Hoffman, the English teacher : of course I did get a lot of Dead Poets Society vibes (I was thriving) and can we all agree what a brilliant idea it was to give the role of the mentor to Leonard after his brilliant performance of the gifted student Neil Perry in Dead Poets Society ?
I will for sure read more of John Patrick Shanley works !
otherwise, let me say that I would have died to watch this play live in NYC (off-Broadway) back in 2016 because the cast was epic ! I mean not only the public had the chance to see Timothée Chalamet portraying Jim, a young talented boy from the Bronx in existential crisis , but moreover they saw Robert Sean Leonard as Alan Hoffman, the English teacher : of course I did get a lot of Dead Poets Society vibes (I was thriving) and can we all agree what a brilliant idea it was to give the role of the mentor to Leonard after his brilliant performance of the gifted student Neil Perry in Dead Poets Society ?
I will for sure read more of John Patrick Shanley works !
December 19, 2017
I decided to read Prodigal Son because I had read and enjoyed Doubt, and I saw clips from the MTC production that I enjoyed. I'd say this play is probably better to see than to read. There are some great moments--a lovely monologue, a couple of sharp lines, but overall, the play didn't feel like anything new. Well constructed and well written, but for me, it wasn't telling a new story or telling an old story in a new way, if that makes sense. Reminded me a lot of the History Boys, too. Overall, it was worth the read, but not anything groundbreaking. I do recommend seeking out the clips (they're on YouTube) to supplement your reading!
January 29, 2024
„why should I change? I’ve never even gotten to find out who I am and you want me to change?”
I’ve seen some clips on youtube with Timothee Chalamet playing Jim, and I knew I need to read this play.
I was searching for years to buy the copy and when I got it, I knew I’m keeping a golden book in my hands.
Shanley put so many raw feelings into this story, covering it in some poems. Jim was just like me when I was younger. All I needed was to find my own Mr. Hoffman. And then THIS scene happened and I was devastated. I was telling to myslef „Jim, how can you bear it?”
In the last scene I knew that I am no longer Jim but Carl.
I’ve seen some clips on youtube with Timothee Chalamet playing Jim, and I knew I need to read this play.
I was searching for years to buy the copy and when I got it, I knew I’m keeping a golden book in my hands.
Shanley put so many raw feelings into this story, covering it in some poems. Jim was just like me when I was younger. All I needed was to find my own Mr. Hoffman. And then THIS scene happened and I was devastated. I was telling to myslef „Jim, how can you bear it?”
In the last scene I knew that I am no longer Jim but Carl.
March 25, 2022
As someone whose intellectual aspirations go far beyond 'what was supposed to be in the cards for you', I found Prodigal Son cathartic. I very much share Jim's initial dislike of The Wasteland. As a play though, Prodigal Son is rather incomplete. There isn't enough cohesion between the scenes to pull me in and the scenes aren't lengthy enough to make that sudden cuts less distracting.
This is a personal play for Shanley and it reads like one. Maybe it will be much better if I saw Timothee Chalamet perform it. After all, it was his monologue that induced me to read it.
This is a personal play for Shanley and it reads like one. Maybe it will be much better if I saw Timothee Chalamet perform it. After all, it was his monologue that induced me to read it.
June 20, 2023
Omg so good! I’m starting to really love this playwright. Jim has so much passion and sees the world so differently, it’s a great take on our modern society too and shows that adults think they are superior to kids just because they’ve lived longer. But sometimes children are the brilliant ones and you’ll never find out until they are given a voice and open space to speak. We are conditioned with so much from the moment we are born sometimes it’s hard to take the step back and ask questions and demand reform to a traditional system. But I love the light this play shines on that ! #teamjim
March 10, 2021
4.5 stars! i love plays because they satisfy the poetic craving within me. in this play the character of Jim Quinn was poetry, the way he spoke, who he was, reminded me of myself, in the place i'm in right now. this play was honest and i felt comforted as Jim shared his life with me.
also timothee chalamet starred in the first production of this (this may or may not be the reason i initially picked this up).
also timothee chalamet starred in the first production of this (this may or may not be the reason i initially picked this up).
January 6, 2023
This play is not for everyone, but it was really impactful for me as a reader and a person. It focuses on a snapshot of an individual through his final two years in high school and for the first time being somewhere that allows him to flourish and grow while he’s still trying to figure out who he is. Intertwined subtlety are the reasons and motivations why the faculty embrace him. Great one day read!! Wish I could see the play!
June 12, 2023
I think this play works better performed rather then read. I enjoyed it, but the more I read it the more I wanted to watch it. The characters, especially Jim, are written so well that I feel like just reading it doesn't do the script justice. That being said, I did find some parts of the play were I got a little bored with what was happening, but again I think that problem would disappear if I was watching the show instead of reading it.
August 5, 2023
I believe that this play is meant to be performed. There is a certain beauty to it, a real understanding of loneliness that made me resonate with each of the characters. But personally, I started to lose the connection with this piece towards the end. It felt rushed. I believe that some additional scenes could have fully explored Jim and his character arc. However it’s definitely worth a read! Nice play.
June 4, 2024
I've read this book after I've watched the monologue by Timothée Chalamet and the play was no disappointment, quite the opposite: I was amused by many scenes! I liked the twists in the end; it really showed me that nor the world, nor the characters are black and white, and not everyone is whom they seem at first sight... The last scene was a little bit chaotic but I just loved that too, and I wish that I could have seen this in a theatre!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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