In "Grasses of a Thousand Colors," our protagonist, Ben (who was played by Wallace Shawn), is a sexually obsessed scientist who made great breakthroughs in genetic modification of food. He is addressing the audience as the author of a memoir, looking back over his successes and failures, and criss-crossing it all with the females of his life: his wife, Cerise; his lovers Robin and Rose; and one very mysterious white cat named Blanche. It is a confusing play. And it involves a lot of barfing, penis describing, and cat sex. And yet it is extremely enjoyable! There is, as you might expect, a lot of humor hidden in the psychological symbolism of this play, and it is impossible to read it without hearing Shawn's unique voice speaking all of Ben's lines. Three hours might seem a little long for live theatre, but I wish I could have seen Gregory's staging of the play -- I feel like even more of the humor and playfulness would come out in a live performance.

[full review here: http://spacebeer.blogspot.com/2011/05/grasses-of-thousand-colors-by-wallace.html ] ( )

Just when I was beginning to think we had run out of provocative subjects, Wally Shawn has found a way to shake things up a bit. A world in which a man's best friend is his penis and animals can only eat members of their own species serves as the container for this political romp into magic realism. Certainly not for everyone, but I loved it! ( )

Had to read this for a Lit class. It was such a punishment! None of us quite grasped the point, if there was one. It is disturbing with instances of bestiality, ridiculous amounts of infidelity and a random underlying story line of nature turning on humans. Essentially it's about a guy who sets out to cure world hunger and REALLY loves his penis.
Best read when under the influence of an illicit substance. You've been warned.

The weirdest, most disturbing play I've encountered since the late '60s. It takes place in a kind of post-apocalyptic dystopia akin to that of Caryl Churchill's 'Far Away', where nature itself has turned on humans (although whether the characters are actually homo sapiens is at times ambiguous.)