Melancholy Play: A Contemporary Farce

Thanks to medical advances such as Prozac, Americans can finally fulfill their constitutional destiny to not only pursue happiness, but embrace it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But is that a good thing? Sarah Ruhl addresses this question and others in her 2002 Melancholy Play Inspired by Robert Burton’s 17th Century tome, “The Anatomy of Melancholy,” Ruhl’s play is a mad-cap ode to an emotion that is rapidly disappearing from the
American landscape.
In Melancholy Play, a group of cheerful Illinois residents are shaken up by a melancholy yet attractive young stranger, Tilly, who works at the bank. Tilly’s aura of sweet sorrow draws others toward her causing them to fall instantly in love with her, but when Tilly becomes happy it wreaks havoc on their lives. Frances, Tilly’s hairdresser, becomes so melancholy that she turns into an almond. It is up to Tilly to get her back. Every scene is accompanied by an on-stage cellist whose emotionally resonant musical numbers are like an additional leading player.