Memory of two Mondays




Memory of two Mondays


     A Memory of two Mondays was one of Greg's favorite plays by the great Arthur Miller. In just over an hour, in one act Miller brilliantly demonstrates his genius by portraying the desperate but luckily employed workers in a Brooklyn warehouse during the misery of the depression. The protagonist is a young man with dreams of bettering himself and going to college. He is surrounded by men and a woman whose dreams are broken and many are escaping into alcoholism and despondancy. We watched the NET Playhouse version on PBS and Greg immediately memorized a lot of the dialogue. The cast was fantastic and included George Grizzard, Barnard Hughes, Estelle Parsons, J.D. Cannon, Jerry Stiller and Jack Warden among other true professionals. The kid Bert sees the  hopelessness and the desperation but grows fond of the struggling crew. Greg particularly liked the scene where Gus and Jim go off on a bender and Jim returns to report the death of Gus. He would often just say "Gus died Larry" to express shock and disappointment. I found wisdom in the play myself when I retired and found the play true to human nature. As in "a memory of two mondays," the kid leaves and those stuck behind in the routine of the warehouse utter congratulations but some resent him for leaving them with their reality of working their lives away. Bert says in a key moment "I know I will remember them as long as I live, they'll never die. Still, I know in a month or two they'll forget my name or mix me up with some other boy who worked here once. Yeah, gee...it's a mystery"  No one loved televised theater as presented by KCET more than Greg who showd his intellect in connecting with flawed characters who still showed their humanity. 

                      




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