Adam Rapp duikt in de donkere kanten van de menselijke ervaring en verkent frequent thema's als vervreemding, ontbering en de zoektocht naar mededogen te midden van crisis. Zijn stijl kenmerkt zich door een rauwe, stroom-van-bewustzijn benadering, waarbij hij straattaal en lyrische proza gebruikt om lezers mee te slepen in werelden van verloren kinderen en complexe morele dilemma's. Rapp's verhalen worden vaak omschreven als huiveringwekkend, hypnotisch en verontrustend, en laten veel ruimte voor introspectie en discussie. Naast zijn werk voor jongvolwassenen is hij ook een gevestigd toneelschrijver, wat zijn veelzijdigheid als verteller aantoont.
In a dystopian America under siege, Ellen endures fifty-two days of hiding and scarcity, anxiously awaiting her husband's return. Amidst the chaos and brutality that has engulfed the nation, she decides to take a bold step that could lead to a transformative change. The story explores themes of resilience and hope in the face of overwhelming despair.
A pinball wizard for the twenty-first century, Wynne Ledbetter is surrounded by despair. His father is wasting away on workman's comp, his mother is a double-shift waitress obsessed with the lives of the saints, and his sister is a dropout junky. But Wynne has a plan. One of only three players in the country to solve the Tang Dynasty computer game, he will travel to the championships in New York City, where the winner pockets a cool million dollars. With this money, he'll put his sister in rehab, pay for his father's operation, and employ his mother in his very own computer repair shop. But he has to get there first. "STONE COLD DEAD SERIOUS...is the work of a playwright who is forging a real voice... Its rendering of the shared language of loved ones illustrates how families can remain intimate even when they are in shards. Its depiction of a working-class America that is unable to dream of anything beyond enduring is as sincerely sad a commentary on our culture as I've seen in recent memory. And its fear for young people is, unfortunately, deeply convincing." Bruce Weber, The New York Times
“GOMPERS is Rapp’s most emotional and powerful work to date, and its beautifully forged characters pack a significant emotional punch and live with the viewer well after the final curtain. GOMPERS…is a work with palpable heart and authenticity.”Chris Jones, Variety “Adam Rapp’s unconventional characters flood the stage with such immediacy and simple authority that it’s nearly impossible to ignore them or not care about them.”Alice Carter, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review “Rapp revels in the seamy side of humanity and, while digging around in that milieu, unearths a richly textured poetic prose style. The vibe I got was Elmer Rice’s STREET SCENE populated by characters from Eric Bogosian’s SUBURBIA.”Ted Hoover, Pittsburgh City Paper ”Fiercely comic.”Christopher Rawson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A riveting play about a creative writing professor at Yale and her brilliant, rebellious student, exploring the limits of what one person can ask of another.
The narrative unfolds with a haunting confession that sets the stage for a deep exploration of guilt, memory, and the impact of past actions. The protagonist grapples with the consequences of a tragic event that has shaped their life and relationships. As the story progresses, themes of redemption and the quest for forgiveness emerge, leading to a complex journey of self-discovery and reconciliation with a haunting past. The emotional intensity and psychological depth create a gripping tale that challenges the boundaries of familial love and responsibility.
Set on Christmas Eve, the narrative follows a Desert Storm veteran and a 19-year-old runaway heroin addict as they navigate their lives in a dilapidated New York squat. This poignant love story intertwines gritty realism with moments of unexpected tenderness, exploring the complexities of human connection amid adversity. The characters, Froggy and Baylis, embody resilience and vulnerability, highlighting the balance between hardship and compassion. Adam Rapp's debut showcases a unique voice, blending humor with a deep empathy for his flawed yet relatable characters.
Little Chicago opens in the office of Children’s Services, where 11-year-old Blacky Brown is being interviewed by a social worker trying to determine what has happened to him. His emotions are blocked at first, but then he reveals that he has been sexually abused by his mother’s boyfriend, and is released into his mother’s custody. Thus begins an alternately harrowing and hopeful story of a brave boy’s attempts to come to grips with a grim reality. Blacky is helped at first by a classmate, Mary Jane, who has also been ostracized, and then by the gun that he buys easily from his sister’s boyfriend. Little Chicago is an unblinking look at the world of a child who has been neglected and abused. It portrays head-on the indifference and hostility of classmates, teachers, and even Blacky’s mother, once these people learn his “secret.” Like Sura in The Buffalo Tree and Whensday in The Copper Elephant, Blacky is one of Adam Rapp’s mesmerizing voices, more so because it is a voice so rarely heard.
Set against the backdrop of a wrestling legend's retirement, the story unfolds during a chaotic family gathering filled with unexpected guests. The narrative blends brutal humor with sharp observations of pop culture, showcasing the author's signature style. Characters reveal surprising depths as tensions rise, reflecting a critique of American moral values and social norms. With energetic dialogue and dark comedy, the play captures the essence of family dynamics and the complexities of farewell, highlighting Adam Rapp's evolving prowess as a writer.
On the run in a stolen car with a kidnapped baby in tow, Custis, Curl, and Boobie are three young people with deeply troubled pasts and bleak futures. As they struggle to find a new life for themselves, it becomes painfully clear that none of them will ever be able to leave the past behind. Yet for one, redemption is waiting in the unlikeliest of places. With the raw language of the street and lyrical, stream-of-consciousness prose, Adam Rapp hurtles the reader into a world of lost children, a world that is not for the faint of heart. Gripping, disturbing, and starkly illuminating, his hypnotic narration captures the voices of two damaged souls — a third speaks only through drawings — to tell a story of alienation, deprivation, and ultimately, the saving power of compassion.
Set against the backdrop of Amsterdam's Red Light District, former college friends Matt and Davis embark on an escapade that leads them into a complicated love triangle with a young prostitute named Christina. Their romantic adventure soon unravels as they confront unsettling truths from their lives back in Manhattan. With poetic depth, the narrative delves into themes of desire and the human condition, revealing the often misguided attempts to fill emotional voids.