David R Gammons

Ohdad Poster

A combination of outrageous comic parody and dark Grand Guignol, “Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad” is a classic of American absurdism. Written in 1962, the play tells the story of the fabulous Madame Rosepettle and her neurotic son Jonathan as they travel to a Caribbean island with their wild entourage: two Venus Flytraps; a cat-eating piranha; a priceless stamp, coin, and book collection; and Madame Rosepettle’s taxidermied dead husband—in a coffin. Mayhem ensues, culminating in one of drama's most memorable closing lines: “What is the meaning of this?”

Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma’s Hung You in the Closet and I’m Feelin’ So Sad

New College Theatre
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

November 2007

Photos: David R. Gammons