![]() In another recurring theme of Eliot's plays, the Christian martyrdom of the mistress character is seen as a sacrifice that permits the predominantly secular life of the community to continue. As in many of Eliot's works, the play uses absurdist elements to expose the isolation of the human condition. As it progresses, however, the work becomes a darker philosophical/psychological treatment of human relations. The play starts out seeming to be a light satire of the traditional British drawing room comedy. ![]() In 1950 the play had successful runs in London and New York theaters (the Broadway production received the 1950 Tony Award for Best Play.) It was first performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 1949. ![]() The Cocktail Party was written while Eliot was a visiting scholar at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey in 1948. ![]() It focuses on a troubled married couple who, through the intervention of a mysterious stranger, settle their problems and move on with their lives. The play was the most popular of Eliot's seven plays in his lifetime, although his 1935 play, Murder in the Cathedral, is better remembered today. ![]()
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